Tagteam Matchmakers
by FBGoldfish
Summary: Complete! Amu's a sophomore in high school and she finally gets the courage to write a love letter to Tadase. But what happens when she accidentally puts it in Ikuto's locker? And why is Rima so pissed about her new cooking partner? Amuto/Rimahiko fic
1. Off to a Great Start

**A/N: So this is my first fanfic for Shugo Chara. And it's been awhile since I've really written anything so bare with me through the first chapter as I try and readjust to everything!**

**And I know the summary sounds just like any other Amuto high school fanfic but I couldn't help myself! Besides, you won't be waiting too long for updates since I already have like the first ten chapters outlined so I don't get sidetracked. So there's a plus for ya! Enjoy!**

**P.S. I don't own Shugo Chara or any of its characters!**

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Amu walked into the classroom and smiled at the sight of her best friend, Rima, with her face shoved into the next issue of her favorite gag manga. Amu swung her bag behind her left shoulder and walked over to sit down next to her.

"What's up, Rima?" she asked.

Rima lifted her head long enough to shoot her an irritated glare and then quickly returned to reading the page she was on. Amu sighed. Only her best friend would spend the first day of sophomore year engrossed in a gag manga while the rest of the class was catching up with their friends discussing their vacations. She glanced around the room to see who else was in their class this year. Her eyes fell on Tadase and she felt a blush rise to her cheeks.

She watched the blond hair fall into his eyes as he talked with Kukai. She sighed. He was just too cute. His smile was genuine. His hair was perfect. His amazing pink eyes were staring into hers and she felt like she could look into them all day long…_Wait, what?_ Amu blinked and realized that he really was looking at her, eyebrow raised, probably wondering why she was staring at him. _Oh god._ She opened her mouth to provide some excuse for staring at him (_most likely with a stupid giddy expression on my face…ugh_) when their homeroom teacher walked in to greet them.

"Hello class!"

The teacher's voice caused Tadase to turn around to face him and Amu breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank you Nikaidou sensei._ She couldn't believe she'd already embarrassed herself in front of Tadase before her first class had even started. Nikaidou took out his roll book to take attendance and handed everyone their first term schedules.

Amu looked hers over and saw that her first class was gym. _Ugh. _She'd forgotten she'd signed up for that this term. _But first period, really? Now I'm going to have to shower otherwise I'll be sweaty and smelly all day long._ And she couldn't have that if she was finally going to confess to Tadase. She'd promised herself that she'd do it before first term was over. Maybe she should give herself the entire school year. Just to be on the safe side…

It wasn't like they'd never talked before. They were friends…sort of. She'd been invited to his middle school graduation party. Sure his mom had invited their entire class, but it was still something. Plus, he'd been in her group a few times during group-work sessions in math class. He was always so nice and helpful. Oh, and there was one time at the lunch table last year where she'd offered him her apple and he took it. Her stomach did a little flip-flop as she pictured him smiling at her the way he did as he thanked her for it.

"Daydreaming about how wonderful your life would be with Tadase?" Rima asked.

"Yeah…" Amu replied still staring off into space.

_Wait._ Amu snapped out of her daze and saw Rima staring at her as she shook her head back and forth. _I really need to stop doing that_.

"No!" Amu corrected herself. "I was just thinking about how nice it is that we're all in the same class together again." Too bad the blush on her cheeks gave her away.

"Right…" Rima responded. "Amu, I've been your friend too long not to know your Tadase face."

"My Tadase face??"

"Yea, you know, the face you make whenever you're thinking about Tadase. Your eyes glaze over and you get this stupid grin on your face."

"I do not!" Amu stammered. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked away. Hmph. Rima didn't know what she was talking about. She didn't make any particular face when she thought about Tadase. That was just her thinking face that's all. Either way she certainly wasn't grinning.

"Whatever, Amu," Rima started, "Anyway, what's your first class?"

"Gym." Amu sighed again. It was a good thing they never did anything on the first day of class because she hadn't brought any of her shower stuff or even her gym uniform.

"As your first class? Ew. You're gonna have to shower afterward."

"Yes, thank you Rima…" Amu glared at her for stating the obvious, "What's your first class?"

"Cooking."

"What? I didn't even know you liked cooking."

"I don't really. But I needed a Home Ec. class and it sounded pretty easy. More so than sewing anyway."

Amu wasn't too sure about that. Rima wasn't too good at math and there was a lot of measuring involved in cooking, but it wasn't Amu's place to ruin her best friend's first day before it even began. With that thought, the bell rang and it was time for them to go to their first class.

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Amu entered the gym and showed one of the teachers there her schedule. The man ushered her to the back half of the gym where a group of students had already started forming. Unfortunately, gym was required each year for all students so all the classes were made up of students from various grades. Amu hoped she would have at least one person she knew in her class. _I wonder if Tadase signed up for gym first term._

Amu started to picture Tadase in his white gym shirt and red gym shorts. She got lost in the fantasy of him wrapping his arms around hers to show her the proper way to swing a tennis racket. Just then a whistle blew. Amu blinked and realized that class was about to start as the teacher asked them all to take a seat on the floor in front of him. She looked around to see if she knew anyone in the class but saw no familiar faces. Her gaze returned to the teacher. He was young, tall, built, and probably very strong, but he had gentle green eyes which made him less intimidating. Amu blushed as she realized she was ogling her teacher.

"You can call me Kyoto sensei," the teacher started, "I'm going to split you up into pairs. These people will be your partners for the term. You will stretch with them, learn with them, and fail with them. You are a team. Now, because there's an even number of boys and girls, I will pair each boy with a girl to make the teams as even as possible."

All the boys in the class groaned. Amu felt her hand ball into a fist. _Like only guys can be athletic. Assholes._ She looked up to see if any of the other girls looked as angry as she felt, but all the girls had crowded around some boy all the sudden.

"Ikutoooo, I hope he pairs us together," one girl said.

"No way, Mitsuo," said another. "He said he wanted to make the pairs even. We all know Ikuto is the best of the guys and that I'm the worst of the girls. It's totally gonna be me!"

"Tell him you want to be paired with me, Ikuto," another girl chimed in.

_What the hell is wrong with them?_ Amu couldn't believe this. She must be the only girl with a brain in this class. That guy even looked like a jerk. Amu watched the boy ignore the girls as he wiped a stray hair from his face. They all swooned at that but he acted like it was nothing out of the ordinary. She paid no further attention to them and decided to scope out the rest of the guys to see if there was at least some chance she'd be paired with someone normal.

_Hmm…that blond guy over there is kind of cute. Oh and so is that black haired one over there._ True, she was set on Tadase, but that didn't mean she couldn't have any fun. If she had to be stuck with a guy, she should at least hope he's someone cute.

"Hinamori Amu. Your partner will be…"

She looked at the teacher, fingers crossed, hoping to be paired with either of the two guys she'd already picked out in her mind. She saw the teacher skim through the guys, but his eyes stopped on that blue-haired boy in the middle of that crowd of girls. _Please no._ He looked at her, then back at the boy. _Oh god. He's going to put me with him just because I'm the only one who's not all over him._ She had half a mind to run over there and start flirting, but her pride wouldn't let her.

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto."

Amu flashed an evil glare at the teacher who just smiled back at her. _Jerk._ The boy walked over and sat down next to her. She looked up to say hi, but ten pairs of angry female eyes stared back at her from behind him. She watched them whisper to each other as they watched Ikuto walk toward her.

_Perfect…It's only the first day and I'm already the most hated one in the class. It's shaping up to be a great school year…_

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**A/N: Aww man it's over already? I'm so mean. I generally write ridiculously long chapters so I'm trying to find the happy medium when it comes to length. And since I already know what's going to happen next chappie, you won't have to wait long! I'm going out of town for the weekend but you can probably expect the next one to be up on Monday. Thanks for reading! I'm not a stickler for reviews and I will of course keep posting without them, but they are nice to read if that extra urge to type miraculously comes over you as you finish reading this. **

**What? It could happen…**


	2. Stuck Together

**A/N: Ummm…OMG did anyone else read the new manga chapter??! I just finished reading it and I get giddy just thinking about it. I'm not going to give anything away to those of you who haven't read it or who maybe are just watching the anime (which by the way is going to end in September, 12 episodes left!! GAHH!). I can't decide if I should read the last chapter of the manga when it comes out or wait until the end of the anime to figure out how it ends.**

**Anyway, back to the topic here. Thanks so much to everyone who read the first chappie and a super-extra-awesome-amazing thanks goes out to the people who reviewed! Without further ado, here you go!**

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As soon as he heard the teacher say that the pairs would be boy-girl for the class, Ikuto prepared himself for what was going to happen. He closed his eyes and by the time he reached up to wipe the hair from his face, the girls were surrounding him.

"Ikutoooo, I hope he pairs us together!"

"No way, Mitsuo, he said he wanted to make the pairs even. We all know Ikuto is the best of the guys and that I'm the worst of the girls. It's totally gonna be me!"

"Tell him you want to be paired with me, Ikuto!"

Even though he was used to this sort of attention by now, he still had to fight a grimace from rising to his face. Somewhere along the line, somebody failed to tell these girls that desperation is not a trait men find attractive. He had hoped by staying single all this time that these girls would realize it themselves, but apparently that was asking too much.

"Hinamori Amu. Your partner will be…"

Ikuto didn't know what else he could do to get these girls to stop. Without being outright mean of course. Maybe he could start acting like a nerd or something. _Nah…that would just go against my character._ He'd tried the pretend girlfriend approach before. Unfortunately, the name he made up happened to be the name of some girl who went to a neighboring school. A group of girls here had gotten together, looked up the girl's information and practically scarred her for life. There was no way he was going to risk that again.

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto."

Ikuto looked up at the sound of his name. He flinched and shut his eyes as he waited for the giddy scream of this Hinamori Amu girl to tear his eardrum, but after a few seconds, nothing came. Opening his eyes he looked around and noticed all the girls around him glaring at a pink-haired girl sitting ten feet away on the floor. She, on the other hand, was glaring at the teacher with her hands curled into fists. He walked over and sat down next to her.

The teacher continued to pair people off as Ikuto looked over at his new partner. She finally looked back at him and opened her mouth to say something but froze almost immediately. Ikuto raised an eyebrow and smirked. _Maybe she just hasn't seen me up close before. The flirting is bound to start any minute now._ When she continued to look at him like that, mouth wide open, he realized that she wasn't looking at him but behind him. He turned around and saw that the other girls were still glaring at her.

He smirked again. He reached out and grabbed her chin, gently pushing it upwards to close her mouth. Her eyes finally shifted to him and he could feel the flames shooting out of the other girls' eyes increase tenfold. He leaned in close to her face, his hand still on her chin.

"Don't worry about them," he whispered, "It's nothing personal. You're just going to have to get used to it."

He moved his hand away as he watched a blush rise in her cheeks. She snapped her head back to face the teacher.

"Well you don't have to add fuel to the flames and grab my face like that!"

"Your mouth was hanging open so long that drool was starting to form. I was just trying to help."

He watched as her hands curled back into fists and her arms started to shake.

"I was not drooling! And it wasn't even that long!" She practically yelled. Some of the boys were staring at them now too.

"Wow, are you always this loud?"

She lowered her voice after the teacher shot a glance their way.

"I'm only loud when I'm angry," she said in a harsh whisper. "If it bothers you, maybe you should not make fun of me, or even better, maybe you should go partner up with one of the other girls and make both our lives easier!"

"No can do, Amu. I wouldn't want the teacher to get a bad impression of me off the bat."

"Fine. I'll ask him then."

Ikuto frowned at that statement. There was no way he was going to spend this entire term with some crazy stalker girl. Besides, this girl seemed interesting. But how was he going to convince her to stay with him without sounding…desperate. He cringed at the word.

"Oh yeah? What are you going to say to him, hmm? That you need to switch partners because I closed your mouth?"

"…maybe. I'll think of something."

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Amu racked her brain for something to say to Kyoto sensei once class ended. There was no way she could stay partners with this guy all term. She suddenly remembered the feel of Ikuto's fingers on her chin and his deep blue eyes looking into hers. She blinked and shook her head to get rid of the image. _Definitely no way._

They hadn't said a word to each other since Ikuto so nicely pointed out that she did not have a good reason to switch partners. _I could say he was harassing me_. She looked over at him as he stared intently at the teacher. _Nah, he'd totally deny it and then I'd look even more like an idiot._ _Gah!_

After the bell rang, Amu walked up to Kyoto sensei determined to talk him into getting her a new partner. She decided that this was very important to her because it could make or break her year. She wanted things to kick off to a good start and being partners with that guy just wasn't going to be good. With that mindset, she turned back to look at Ikuto, stuck her tongue out at him, and turned back to face the teacher.

Kyoto turned to face her and smiled at her. Amu practically melted. That smile rivaled Tadase's and those green eyes just made her feel so warm.

"Hey there, Hinamori. I have to say, I'm so glad you and Tsukiyomi get along."

"Yea, about that," Amu said sheepishly and mostly under her breath.

"After all those girls swarmed Ikuto, I was worried I'd have to deal with constant jealousy fights and partner changes just like last year. It was a total disaster and I felt terrible for Ikuto."

Just then, Ikuto walked over to them.

"Yo, sensei. Nice to have you as my instructor again this year."

Amu's mouth fell open. _Oh god. They were…friends?_ She looked at Ikuto as he talked casually with the teacher. _That bastard. He has total control over the situation._

"Well, I have to get ready for the next class so I'll see you guys tomorrow. Don't forget to wear your uniforms!"

And with that, he left.

Amu felt Ikuto's fingers on her chin again as he pushed her mouth closed.

"You should really try to keep your mouth in control. Some guys might get the wrong idea about you if you keep it wide open like that all the time. Later."

Amu practically keeled over in shock at that innuendo. She felt her mouth start to drop open again and immediately shut it. _Like I would ever do THAT to a guy. _She watched Ikuto walk out of the gym and raised a shaking fist in his direction. _Hmph. And Rima wonders what I see in Tadase. I can't wait to tell her about this asshole._

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**A/N: Really? There? What a shitty place to end a chapter. I know, I know! But the next part I was originally going to add was going to make it like twice the length so I'm separating it into two chapters. I'm going to start writing it ASAP though so you'll be able to read it by like Tuesday. Okay? And the plot actually starts next chappie, yay!!! (Thunderous applause). So once again, if you read, I'll like you. If you review, I'll LOVE you! Which group would you rather be a part of???**

…**psht…I know, like it's a hard choice… **


	3. What Best Friends Are For

**A/N: It's so nice out in MD right now, I can't even explain. I've moved my writing location from my pig-sty of a room to right by a window in the living room and I just feel my creative urges taking over as I look outside. If only there was an outlet outside somewhere so I could sit out there and write. Sigh…**

**With that said, I give you chapter 3! **

**P.S. ArtGrrl, I totally agree with you. This story is totally awesome and deserves more reviews. Hahahaha jk. I don't think it's exciting enough yet for me to say that and really mean it. But either way, thanks once again to everyone who reviewed, and to all the new readers!**

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After her second class, Amu walked into the lunchroom ready to tell Rima about her shitty first day so far. Math hadn't been too terrible but for some reason, Rima had decided not to show up. She knew her best friend hated math, but it wasn't like they did anything the first day anyway. She'd have to ask her about that once she finished talking to her about Ikuto. And Amu was so in the mood to rant.

Once she'd gotten her food from the lunch line, she walked over to their normal eating place, scanning the area for Rima. Her eyes fell on that long blond hair she knew all too well and she took a seat next to her friend.

"Rima, you will never believe what happened to—"

Amu froze as Rima turned to look at her. You would've guessed someone must have made a really bad joke. No, scratch that. Several bad jokes. Rima looked absolutely furious. It was as if a dark black aura was emanating from her. Amu giggled nervously and scooted a few inches away from the girl.

"Umm…Is-Is everything o-okay, Rima?"

She was actually afraid to ask, but she didn't know what else to say. And then Rima let it all out.

"Do you remember that ASSHOLE last year who totally GROPED me after I fell down the staircase?!"

"Uhh…"

"You know, the kinda tall guy with the long purple hair? And those ugly, perverted yellow eyes?!"

"…"

"DO YOU REMEMBER?"

Rima had obviously forgotten that Amu also had yellow eyes and it had completely escaped her notice that she had just insulted her best friend. Amu sighed. Rima was overreacting again.

"You mean the guy who was nice enough to catch you after you almost fell down an entire flight of stairs?"

"His hands grabbed me. RIGHT. HERE." Rima placed a hand on each side of her chest to emphasize the last two words.

"Whatever Rima. Anyway, yes I remember him. What about it?"

Rima tossed another fiery glare in her direction before continuing.

"HE is my cooking partner!"

"Well ask to switch with someone."

"I did! Why do you think I didn't make it to Math? I spent the whole time arguing with the teacher but she insisted that I give it more time. Like that's going to change anything."

"Wow…I'm so sorry for you," Amu feigned sympathy. "Honestly, Rima. If I remember, that guy apologized to you after the incident and, even after all this time, you're still ignoring the fact that he saved you a few broken bones and a trip to the hospital."

"I can't believe you are taking his side. This is terrible. I have to deal with him for an entire term. That's one third of the year, Amu! One third! That's like…50 days or something."

"It's 120 days, Rima."

"Shut up. I do not need you to make fun of my math right now."

"Well, do you want to hear about the guy I have to deal with for one third of the year?"

Rima perked up immediately.

"There's a new guy in your life?"

"Umm…I guess. But he's a total asshole, Rima. I don't even know how to explain it."

"Is he cute?"

"What? Are you listening to me? ASS. HOLE."

"Yes I am listening to you. And that's not what I asked. Just because he's an asshole doesn't make him ugly. So spill. What's he look like?"

The image of Ikuto's face inches away from hers popped into her mind again. _Well he does have nice eyes…_. Amu forced the image away. _What are you talking about, Amu? You're supposed to be explaining why he's such a douche bag. _

Rima raised an eyebrow at her and Amu found herself wondering exactly how long she'd been picturing his face just now.

"Nothing special. He's average. Almost too skinny. But anyway, the point is…." Amu gave Rima all the details of her first gym class, but the whole time Rima just acted like it was no big deal.

"So you're telling me all the girls are in love with him, and therefore hate you?"

"Yes and—"

"And he's just _average_? Sounds like someone is in denial."

"Excuse me?!"

"A cute guy. A cute _senior_ guy is paying attention to you, and you are tossing the opportunity down the drain for Tadase, who you can't even say a full sentence to."

"Like you're one to talk! If I remember correctly, that purple haired guy was pretty good-looking and is also a senior! And I can totally say a full sentence to Tadase!"

"Oh yeah?" Rima responded, ignoring the first comeback.

As if on cue, the blond boy in question walked by their table carrying his lunch tray. _She wouldn't dare._

"Oh hey, Tadase."

He stopped and turned to look at them. Amu blushed immediately.

"Hello Rima, Amu."

"We were just talking about how great it was that we were all in the same class again. Isn't that right, Amu?"

Rima turned to Amu and flashed her an evil grin. Behind her, Tadase stared curiously at Amu with those big pink eyes, waiting for her to answer. She opened her mouth to say something, but instantly thought of what Ikuto said and slammed her mouth shut again. She looked down at her food. _That bastard has totally gotten into my head already!_

"Y-yes." She managed to choke out.

Tadase smiled. "Yes it is nice."

Amu's blush deepened and she smiled up at him.

"Well, see you in class after lunch then." Rima said, ending the conversation.

Tadase walked away and Amu let out a huge sigh.

"You're right. I can totally see things working out for you two at this rate. You said a whole entire word that time, and almost stutter free!"

"Shut up. I just wasn't mentally prepared for it is all."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you needed hours to come up with a full sentence to say to him. I swear, you better confess to him soon because I'm not sure I can take much more of your pining. What made you choke anyway? You looked like you had something to say for a minute there."

"I was just thinking about what Ikuto said about me keeping my mouth open all the time and I lost my nerve."

"Ikuto? You mean that _average_ guy from your gym class?" Rima said with that evil grin again.

_I'm going to kick her ass._

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Ikuto sat down next to Nagihiko at lunch. His best friend had his head down on the table, face pressed against the surface. He raised an eyebrow wondering what could've possibly put Nagi in this state.

"You okay, man?"

Nagihiko simply waved his hand at Ikuto as if to say it was nothing of importance. _Right._ His fingers curled around a clump of purple hair and he gave it a sharp pull.

"Ow!" Nagihiko shot up. "That was completely uncalled for."

"Sorry, but you were acting stupid. Now tell me what happened. Did some guy try and hit on you again because he thought you were a chick?"

"No, ass. At school, it's pretty obvious that I'm a boy considering I'm wearing the black uniform. Besides that was a long time ago."

Ikuto laughed. At least that got Nagi acting like himself again.

"So what gives?"

Nagihiko sighed.

"You remember that girl that fell down the steps last year?"

"The cute little blond one that you felt up?"

Ikuto felt a pang in his side as his best friend's fist slammed into him full force. Apparently he wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"Ow. Geeze. I was just kidding."

"It's not like I was focused on where my hands were. I was just trying to stop the girl from slamming into the wall. Had I known how she was going to react, I _would_ have focused more on it."

"What? You mean a slap in the face and a cold shoulder wasn't enough thanks for you?"

Nagihiko shot him an evil glare.

"Don't push it."

"Sorry…. Anyway, so what does that girl have to do with this?"

"Well she's my partner in cooking class."

"No way! That must've been awkward."

"I would've preferred awkward. You should've seen the look she gave me when the teacher called my name after hers. I've never felt so hated in my life."

"Can't you just ask to switch?"

"It's not that. Besides, she already tried. The teacher isn't having any of it. And I…I like her."

"What?" Ikuto stared blankly at his friend.

"I mean…I've always noticed her, even before she fell. I can't explain it."

"Well…can't you apologize or something."

"I tried. She totally ignored me like I wasn't even—"

After realizing that his friend wasn't going to finish his sentence, Ikuto looked up from his food to see Nagihiko staring off somewhere with a blush on his face.

"Uhh…Nagi?"

"She's sitting like right across from us two tables away. That's Rima. Talking to some blond kid."

Ikuto tried to follow Nagi's gaze until his eyes found the blond girl. And the blond guy.

"Hey that's the guy who has the locker right next to mine. He's not bad—"

Ikuto's jaw dropped as he noticed the pink-haired girl sitting next to the blond one. _Amu?_ He closed his mouth immediately once he realized what he was doing. _Thank god she didn't see that_. _I'd never hear the end of it. Wait, what the hell am I talking about? We just met._

"Ikuto?"

Ikuto jumped at the sound. "Huh? What?"

Nagihiko raised an eyebrow at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah. It's just that the pink-haired girl next to her is my gym partner. Amu. The one I was telling you about last class."

"Wait, what? Rima's best friend is your gym partner?!"

"Yeah. Small world huh?"

"Ikuto, this is perfect. You can talk me up!"

"What?"

"You know, put in a few good words about me. Ask her about Rima."

"Um, no."

"Pleeeeease!" Nagihiko looked at him with his sad puppy face.

Ikuto sighed. Nagi had been his best friend for almost ten years. He'd been there with him through a lot of shit and aside from some occasional school help, he'd never really asked Ikuto for anything in return. _But this….ugh._

"Please, Ikuto. I'm desperate."

"Please don't say that. Or at least use a different word. It sounds too much like pathetic."

"What are you talking about? They don't sound alike at—"

"Fine, I'll see what I can do. But I'm not making any promises."

Nagihiko smiled at him and Ikuto couldn't help but smile back. Nagi regained his composure.

"Thanks man."

"Don't even try to sound manly after that."

"Whatever, you know you can't resist my puppy face."

Ikuto just laughed and took a long sip of his drink. He was going to have to ask for help from Hinamori Amu. And if there was anything he knew about her, which wasn't much at this point, it was that she would absolutely _love_ to have some kind of control over their situation. And he didn't think he'd enjoy that too much.

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**A/N: Woo, long chappie! Well, I mean, word count wise, it's not that long, but there was a lot of dialogue. Hope you guys liked it. Things are about to get interestiiiiing. I'm excited. In fact, I'm so excited, I might write the next chapter tomorrow and have it up by tomorrow night. Kind of like the way I did with this one come to think of it…hmm….but that was because I was so happy with all the reviews and favorites and alerts that lit up my email. So you'll do again right? Right?**

**I'm so totally right.**


	4. The Perfect Plan

**A/N: So get this. When I posted that last chapter, I was like, I'd be happy with..i donno…4 reviews this time. And then I got 3 like right off the bat! And then I waited all day yesterday and last night, and even into this morning for that last one. And it never came =[. Luckily for you guys, I finished this chappie while running off the fuel of those first 3 so tis here for you.**

**XoxoFallenStarxox: Umm…omg what an amazing compliment. It made me so happy to read that!**

**ArtGrrl and AnimeBaybee you're still in my heart too!**

**(This has been fixed so you can ignore this now) Oh wait, IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I know I said in the beginning of the first chapter that it was first term and they all came back from summer vacation. That's because I was totally thinking about here in America, but I know in Japan, first term starts in April and there's a short summer break before second term starts. So I just want you to know that it's supposed to be April at the moment in the story, I just messed up the first chapter. It would've confused things in the future if I hadn't cleared that up so I just wanted you to know!**

**(And yes if you want to get real technical, 10****th**** graders are actually "freshman" in Japanese high schools but that doesn't really affect the story at all so I don't care =P)**

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Amu shut her bedroom door behind her. She tossed her bag on the ground by her desk and sat down on the edge of her bed.

_What a crazy first day._

She was so thankful she hadn't run into Ikuto at all after gym. She was already dreading having to deal with him again in the morning. Of one thing she was certain: she would not let him off so easily next time he pissed her off. If she was stuck with him all term, she was going to make sure it was as terrible for him as it was for her. Why did he want to stay her partner anyway?

After removing her shoes, Amu fell back onto the mattress. She did at least get to see Tadase today. And he was going to be in her class all year! If only Rima hadn't totally embarrassed her at lunch.

_I still can't believe she did that to me. But at least…he did say it was nice to be in the same class as me._

Amu sighed as she let herself drift off into fantasy world for a few minutes. She couldn't wait for the day she could go up to him and just say whatever it was that came to her mind. As much as she hated it, Rima did have a point. If she didn't make progress soon, she was afraid she'd be stuck in this rut forever.

_I promised myself I would be more assertive and tell Tadase my feelings!_

But she didn't know what to do. The thought sounded great now, but she knew as soon as she saw him in person, she would get all nervous and tongue-tied again. Maybe that wasn't the right way to go about it.

_Hmm..a letter maybe? If I can't say it, then why not write it?_

Amu thought about it for a minute. Did people still write love letters in high school?

_Well maybe if I just write down what I have to say, I can practice reading it out loud. Yeah! _

She got up and walked over to her desk. Opening the top drawer, she pulled out a pen and a piece of her pink stationary paper. _Okay so it's a little girly, but oh well._

She spent the next few hours mulling over what to say until she finally managed to get it all down. Proud of herself, she decided she'd done enough for the time being and tucked herself in for the night.

* * *

Amu peered around the corner and watched as Tadase opened his locker to grab his books for the day. She'd gotten to school extra early that day to make sure she'd be able to pinpoint the location of his locker. After waking up from a terrible dream where she was forced to watch Tadase make out with some other girl, Amu decided to deliver the letter she wrote to him.

Okay so it didn't have her name on it anywhere, but still, it was a step in the right direction. After he read it, she planned to overhear him talking to Kukai about it, at which time she would promptly chime in and offer to help him figure out the mystery girl. Then, they would bond during their investigations together, and in the end, he'd fall for her and find out it was her letter all along.

Amu sighed. It was a flawless plan. And now that she knew where his locker was, she would wait until lunchtime when no one was around to slip the letter inside so he'd find it at the end of the day.

As she came out of her daydream, her eyes fell upon the amber-tinted ones of her blond best friend. _Hey Rima has yellow eyes too! She totally insulted herself yesterday._ _Ha!_

Rima was giving her a disturbed look. The blond looked past Amu's shoulder then looked back at her.

"Admiring Tadase from afar again I see. You haven't been standing here for hours planning out a full sentence to say to him have you?"

"What? No! I'm not _that_ weird."

"Well you did say you needed to mentally prepare yourself last time. Besides, when it comes to you and that boy, I don't toss any possibilities aside."

"You're so mean."

* * *

It was preliminary fitness test day in gym class. Meaning they had to do as many sit-ups, push-ups, etc. as possible to test their fitness at the start of the term. Then, they'd have to do the same at the end of the term to see how much they'd improved.

Ikuto found it hard to focus on that though. His partner wasn't exactly cooperating with him at the moment. Kyoto was going over the stretches they were going to have to do at the beginning of every class, and while Amu was doing them with him, she refused to look at him or even speak to him during the process.

"What gives? I close your mouth twice and you hate my guts?"

"Please don't talk to me. I'm _trying_ to stretch." Amu responded, bending over to touch her toes.

"Oh, well excuse me," Ikuto said, leaning over as well, "I didn't realize this took all of your concentration. Sorry I thought you could multitask."

"I _can_ multitask, jerk. Maybe I don't want to talk to you."

Geeze. How was he supposed to find out more about Rima if Amu didn't even want to talk to him. Not to mention she was being ridiculous. He really only had closed her mouth twice. He didn't see the big deal.

"And why's that?" He said stretching his arms over his head.

"Gee, I donno," she said, mirroring him, "Maybe it's because you're the reason the entire female population in this class hates me. Or, wait, maybe it's because you implied I was a slut yesterday."

"What?" He said. He dropped his arms and looked at her. "I was merely stating a fact. There are guys in this school who _would_ get the wrong idea. And also, it's not my fault that those girls have possession issues."

"Possession issues? Wow. Do explain that one to me." She said turning to him.

"Oh, now you want me to talk to you?"

"God. You. Are. So. Difficult!" Amu said, smashing her index finger against his chest to emphasize each word.

They were face to face at this point, each of them shooting an angry look at the other.

"Tsukiyomi. Hinamori."

They both flinched at the sound of their names rolling off Kyoto sensei's tongue. They turned to see him standing right next to them. The other pairs continued to stretch but kept flashing glances back at them to see what was going on.

"Is there a problem here?"

"No, sir." Ikuto responded. He watched Amu hesitate for a second, but she finally spoke.

"No, sir."

"Then stop bickering and finish stretching." When he turned his back to them, Amu immediately shot a glare in Ikuto's direction.

"Alright class, we're going to start the testing today. Seeing as how we spent a lot of time learning the stretches, we're only going to do the push-ups and sit-ups today and we'll save the rest for tomorrow."

Ikuto was relieved. He couldn't wait to get out of there. Amu was being completely unreasonable and immature right now. Though he probably should have expected as much from a sophomore. He hoped it was just that time of the month for her or something.

* * *

_He is so lucky Kyoto sensei is so nice or I would have totally ratted him out just then._

Amu was sitting next to Ikuto, who was lying on his stomach, both of them waiting for the whistle to blow. Ikuto was up first for push-ups and she had to count how many he did in a minute.

_Why does he have to be so sarcastic all the damn time! And it is his fault they hate me. 'Possession Issues' my ass. He's so full of it._

The whistle finally blew and Amu started counting. Ikuto was really good. He did one like every second. _It probably helps that his arms are so muscular._ She found herself watching how the muscles in his arm moved as he went up and down like that.

"So how many was it?"

Amu blinked.

"What?"

"How many did I do?"

Ikuto was staring at her with that stupid eyebrow raised. _Oh god. Did I just spend that entire time staring at his muscles?_ Amu felt her cheeks heat up. _Well, I said he was doing one like every second right. So 60? No, that seems like too many._

"Uhh…56."

"Wow, really? That's even more than at the end of last year."

Amu let out a sigh of relief. At least she didn't say some impossibly large or ridiculously small number that would make him realize she wasn't paying attention. There was no way she was going to explain that one to him.

"Alright, now switch partners."

"You're up, Amu." Ikuto said.

_Shit. _She was terrible at push-ups. Her arms didn't even know what muscles were. Now, she was not fat by any means but skinny didn't necessarily equate to "in shape". The last thing she needed was to embarrass herself in front of Ikuto even more.

The whistle blew and Amu raised herself up onto her arms. Who knows? Maybe she had gained some strength since last year. _That's it, Amu. You're going to do great._

She found out just how wrong she was when she tried to lower herself back down without losing it and falling flat on her face. She felt herself go down a little bit, but her arms locked and she couldn't push herself down further. _Maybe I went down far enough and he won't even notice._

She raised herself up again. When Ikuto didn't say anything, she figured she must've done okay so she tried lowering herself again.

"Amu, what was that?"

"What?" She asked, her voice a bit strained.

"What do you mean, what? Don't tell me that was a push-up."

Amu froze. _Shit. I must not have gone low enough._

"Amu, the only thing that moved there was your hips. Your arms didn't go down at all. It was almost like you were…how should I say this…humping the ground."

This time Amu did fall on her face. At the sound of the word "humping" she blushed and lost control of herself.

"You still have like twenty seconds left."

Amu didn't even bother moving. She didn't need to embarrass herself anymore. And she certainly didn't need him to watch her "hump" the ground again. _Boys are so damn perverted._

The whistle finally blew again signaling the minute was up.

"Well, Amu. You got ze—"

"Don't even say it." She said getting up onto her feet again, refusing to look at him.

Next was sit-ups. She knew she had this one in the bag. She'd spent the last month or so doing crunches and sit-ups in order to look her best in a bikini when summer break comes around.

Ikuto went first and of course did perfectly fine. She switched places with him and put her back against the mat, knees up, ready to go. Ikuto placed his hands on her feet like he was supposed to in order to keep them from moving.

After the whistle blew and she started doing sit-ups, she realized her shorts were slowly creeping further down her thighs. She looked up at Ikuto and saw that he noticed this as well.

"Nice underwear."

_That's it!_

The whistle blew just then and Ikuto let go of her feet. Now that she could move freely, she lifted her leg and kicked him square in the chest and he went backwards onto the ground. She got up, furious.

"You are such a pervert!"

She stormed past him toward the locker room, knowing class was over anyway. She didn't even care what everyone thought.

* * *

At lunchtime, when everyone was eating, Amu snuck out of the cafeteria and headed down the hall toward Tadase's locker. When she reached the familiar hallway, she looked around to double check that no one was watching, and walked up to his locker.

She pulled out the pink letter and read over it one last time before folding it so it would fit in the slits above the lock. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming in her direction. _Shit. _She quickly finished folding it, shoved it in the locker in front of her, and took off toward the cafeteria.

After school, she waited in the same spot she had that morning and peered around the corner, waiting for Tadase to get to his locker. She finally saw that blond head of hair walking down the hallway from the opposite end. _I'm getting a little nervous. _She didn't know why though. _Calm down, Amu! Your name isn't even on it._

He opened his locker, placed some books inside, and added some to his bag. Then, he zippered the bag, shut the locker and left, heading toward the door in her direction. _Ah! He's coming this way!_

She pulled out her phone and pretended to talk to someone as Tadase walked by and headed out the door. Once he was gone, she snapped the phone shut and sighed.

_Thank goodness. And what the hell? He didn't even grab the letter. Maybe it fell to the back of his locker?_

Amu silently scolded herself. Now she had to wait until he found it. After realizing that she was the only one left in the hallway, she moved toward the door. She heard more footsteps and instinctively hid behind the wall again. _Who the hell are you hiding from, Amu? It's not like you know that person._

Still, she peered around the corner to see who it was. She instantly wanted to vomit as she saw that familiar lanky figure with blue hair. _Ugh. I might as well stay hidden here until he leaves. No chance I'm going to risk talking to him again._

She watched as he opened his locker and a pink piece of paper floated to the ground. He stopped and reached down to pick it up. Amu swallowed hard. _Oh. My. God._

_

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**A/N: Oh. My. God. She put it in Ikuto's locker! (Like you all didn't know that was coming from the story summary…) But it was still a fun chapter to write. Believe it or not, there was a whole nother scene I had originally planned to add in here, but it was getting ridiculously long. This one might be even longer than the last one. I actually thought about cutting it in half, but I really wanted to finally get down to the plot of the story here. The fun begins next chapter!**

**Please R&R! I don't know it's good if you don't tell me! Even a simple, "Amazing" would do. I'm easy to please. Or maybe even just a "thumbs up".**

**Just remember, a happy writer will write amazing Amuto moments/ending.**

**An unhappy one will write Tadamu moments/ending.**

**Tehehehe.**


	5. From Love Letter to Blackmail

**A/N: Sigh. I want to apologize for being such a mean person. I would totally not give you guys a Tadamu ending. That was a terrible thing for me to say. I appreciate every single review I get and each one makes me smile =]. So no more complaining and threatening from here on out. (Well I mean, if I get like 0 reviews one chapter or something then I might complain, but nothing otherwise.) **

**So Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed this time!! Much love!  
**

**And no more giant, meaningless rants on these Author Notes. I don't even read them on other people's stories most times so I certainly can't expect you guys to.**

**So here's installment numero 5!**

**OMG I never put a Disclaimer! I DON'T OWN SHUGO CHARA!**

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Ikuto sat down next to Nagihiko at lunch. He flinched a little as he sat, still able to feel the bruise forming where Amu kicked him earlier that day.

"I can't believe she actually struck you." He could hear Nagi say to his left.

"Tell me about it. I mean you would think I groped her or something…"

"…" Nagihiko's eyes narrowed. "Don't make me kill you. I'm on your side here…"

"I know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"So I'm going to go ahead and guess that you probably didn't talk to Amu about me or Rima at all did you?"

Ikuto frowned and just shook his head. He clutched his stomach as he leaned over to eat. _God damn that really hurt. Who would've thought a girl with no arm strength could kick like that?_

"It's okay. I'm probably being unreasonable in thinking that I could get her to like me anyway."

He heard Nagihiko sigh next to him. He looked up and saw him staring at Rima across the cafeteria again. _I'm a terrible friend._ He knew he shouldn't let his own problems get in the way of his promise to help Nagi out. He looked across at Amu and he felt the anger rise in him again.

_But how am I supposed to ask her for help? She's so goddamn stubborn and holds grudges for the smallest things. _So maybe the underwear comment had been unnecessary but she really did look like she was humping the ground during that push-up. _Still_. He looked over at Nagihiko. _He's really serious about this._

"Don't worry, Nagi. I'll figure something out, I promise."

* * *

Ikuto trudged toward his locker after school. It took him longer than normal to get there since his chest hurt a little each time he took a step. By the time he did arrive, there was no one left in the hallway.

He stopped at his locker and fiddled with the lock before finally opening it. As soon as he did, a small pink piece of paper fell out and floated down to the floor. _What the hell?_ He leaned down to pick it up.

It was folded in a way that only a girl would know how to do. _Hmph. Probably just another love letter._ But the color of it reminded him of…_There's no way._ He decided he had to open it now just to make sure. _Like I would do anything about it if it was her._

When he finally finished unfolding it, he started to read it out loud.

"_Tadase,"_

"STOP!"

Ikuto almost jumped in surprise. He turned to see a girl running toward him.

"Amu?"

"Please…don't…read…that." She said between breaths.

Ikuto raised his eyebrow as he realized what was going on. _So this _is_ her letter._

"But Amu, you put it in my locker. Aren't I supposed to read it?" He grinned and looked at the sheet of paper again and began to read.

"_Tadase, I know we don't talk much, but I want you to know that I think you are very nice and have the best smile—"_

"Ikuto, stop!" She reached up to grab the paper from his hands but he just held it out of reach.

"Aww, Amu, but it's such a nice little letter."

"_I've always thought you were cute and funny and I just wanted you to know that someone out there cared for you."_

He watched her face turn redder than a tomato and smirked. This was perfect. He finally had a way in.

"Wait. Tadase is the blond guy with _this_ locker, right?" He asked pointing to the locker to the left of his.

Her fingers curled into fists at her side and he could see her eyebrow start to twitch.

"You think that guy's funny?" He kept going.

"Gimme that!" She tried once again to snatch the paper from his grasp, but he just pulled it away again.

"I'm just saying," Ikuto continued as if nothing happened. "He's a nice guy and all, but he doesn't seem like he has a good sense of humor."

"Oh really? And you would know? Last time I checked, you guys weren't exactly best friends."

"Well yea, but I've talked to him before. Like I said, he's a _nice guy_. You know, the type who sends you flowers everyday and rubs your feet for you whenever you ask."

"So what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing I guess. If you want to be bored after the first month."

"Right…cause you seem like the type who can keep a relationship going. Look just give me the letter back and we'll pretend this never happened."

"And why should I? You kicked me in the stomach pretty hard this morning. I don't owe you anything."

"Fine. Keep it. I don't care." She flipped her hair triumphantly and spun on her heel to head back toward the door. "It's not like my name's on it anyway."

* * *

It was all Amu could do to keep from strangling him. She just had to get out of there.

"Really? Looks to me like it says your name right here."

_What?_ She definitely did not sign it. She turned around to see him writing on the letter with a pen.

"See. _Love, Amu._" He smirked as he finished and showed it to her.

_Oh god. He did not just do that._

"All I have to do is just slip it into this locker here and we can pretend like nothing happened, right?"

Amu wanted to cry. She really hated him. She clenched her fists again as she stared at the floor.

"What do you want?" She asked getting to the point. He was obviously trying to blackmail her.

"Well now that you mention it…I could use your help with something.."

She looked up to see him still smirking at her. She wanted nothing more than to go over there and wipe that stupid ass smirk off his face. But she couldn't risk him slipping that letter into Tadase's locker. She wasn't ready for that yet. So she just waited for him to say whatever perverted thing he wanted her to do to him (or vice versa she guessed).

"You're friends with that girl Rima right?"

Amu blinked. "Huh?"

_What the hell did he want with Rima?_

"You know, that little blond girl."

"Yes, I know who you are talking about. What about her?"

"Let's just say I have a friend who has a thing for her."

Amu processed that for a minute and laughed out loud. _If Ikuto has a crush on Rima, I will die laughing._

"What's so funny?"

"Was that your backwards way of saying you have a crush on my best friend? You don't have to pull the 'friend' thing on me."

This time Ikuto laughed at her.

"Oh man, Amu. I didn't realize you were so funny. Like I would ever need help with a girl. Good one, though."

Amu frowned. "You really are full of yourself, you know that?"

"Anyway," he responded, ignoring her, "I really do have a friend who likes her so I want to do what I can to help him out. And seeing as how she is your best friend, I could use your help."

"So you're asking me to help you hook up my best friend with some guy I don't even know? How do I know he's not a perverted asshole like you?"

"I'm going to ignore that. And he isn't. He's a good guy."

Amu noticed Ikuto looked kind of sad as he said that. _I guess he sounds like he's telling the truth. Not that I really have a choice anyway._

"Look, I'll even help you with Tadase if you want."

"What? Who said I needed help with Tadase?"

Ikuto just stared at her.

"Seriously, Amu? You wrote an anonymous letter to the guy, in which you pointed out that you don't really even talk to him. Doesn't exactly sound like the perfect situation."

Amu hated to admit anything to him. Especially that she could use his help. _Wait, how the hell is he supposed to help me anyway?_

"What are you going to do? Teach me how to make myself irresistible?"

He scoffed. "Please. I'm not a miracle worker."

Amu's eyebrows narrowed. "Don't beat around the bush or anything…"

"I'll figure something out. Anyway, you in?"

"Do I have a choice? Of course I'm in. Now give me that letter back."

"Sure." He tossed her the letter. "Not like I can't write another one if you go against our deal."

"I don't like you." She said grabbing the letter out of the air.

"…"

"Well at least tell me about this guy so I can try and talk to her about him."

"That's where it gets a bit difficult."

"Meaning?"

"I'm sure Rima told you about the time she fell down the staircase last year."

"Yeah. She claims that poor guy that caught her tried to feel her up."

"Yeah well…that's him."

"I'm sorry?"

"That's the guy. My friend. The one who likes Rima."

Amu just stared at Ikuto for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Talk about working miracles. You're asking me to get Rima to go out with someone she hates."

"I said the same thing, but he's set on it. Apparently they're cooking partners."

"Yea I know. She practically bit my head off at lunch yesterday telling me about it."

Ikuto just shrugged. "Well that's the deal. You help me. I help you. Tadase doesn't learn a thing."

"Okay. Assuming the last part holds up, I will do what I can. But I can't make any promises. You're asking for something nearly impossible."

"Nearly being the key word there. And besides, our tasks are _equally_ difficult."

Amu crossed her arms over her chest. _Hmph._ "Whatever."

Ikuto walked past her toward the door. "See you tomorrow, Amu."

"Oh boy, I can't wait…"

Amu watched him leave before she uncrossed her arms and slid her back down the locker behind her. She let her head fall against her knees.

_Why does this shit keep happening to me?_

_

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**A/N: Ahhh, why's Ikuto being so mean? -_-. Then again Amu did kick him pretty hard. Why can't they just get along? Anyway, sorry for all the dialogue. It always turns out to be way more than I think it will be. I'm not as satisfied with my writing this chapter as I have been with the others, but oh well. Next chapter should be better. We get to see inside Rima's head a little in the next one! Woo!**

**R&R!**

**Til next time!**

**Oh shoot, I forgot to tell you guys that I work Fri-Sun like every week so I have a lot less free time to write. So you probably won't get the next one til Sunday night or Monday. Don't be mad!**


	6. Hypocritical Thinking

**A/N: Woo! I got some free time today so I managed to crank out another chapter for you guys! Yay me!!**

**So I've finally figured out how this story is going to end! It came to me in my sleep the other night. Don't worry, we're not even close to the end of this story, but I'm just saying, it's exciting that I know. Now I just have to work on all the parts in the middle that are going to lead up to it. (I'm up to chapter 13 at the moment, woo!)**

**Thanks again to you reviewers!**

**And I'm so grateful to everyone who's favorited myself and this story. I can't believe how many of you have! Love you guys!!**

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Amu sat down next to Rima in homeroom. _I swear if today is worse than the last two days, I'm going to shoot myself in the foot and be out for the rest of the term._ She contemplated that idea a little more. _Well I would get out of gym…_

She replayed yesterday's events in her head.

_"Well that's the deal. You help me. I help you. Tadase doesn't learn a thing…"_

Tadase walked into the classroom with Kukai and Amu felt her cheeks heat up as usual. She had finally taken a step forward and done something assertive. _Well…sort of._ And even after all that, nothing had changed because of that bastard gym partner of hers.

_It's not his fault you put it in the wrong locker…_

_Shut up, mind._

She looked over at Rima. The deal could've been a lot worse. Helping her best friend find love didn't seem too bad. Then again…it was Rima. Amu wasn't even sure that girl could fall for someone. They'd been best friends a long time and she couldn't remember a time they'd ever talked about any of Rima's love interests.

Not to mention, Ikuto picked the least likely candidate in the school for Amu to set her up with. They weren't starting from neutral and pushing it to love. They were starting from hate and trying to push it to at least neutral before they could really do anything. Though she'd love to push it all the way.

If Rima had someone to care about, maybe she wouldn't make fun of her and Tadase all the time. If she knew what it was like to have her face heat up everytime she saw someone or to have her stomach do flip-flops whenever they were around, maybe she'd be…well…happier.

"Hey Rima…"

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever…"

BRRRRRRRIIINNNNNNNGGGGGG!

The bell rang and everyone got up and shuffled toward the door to leave for their first class.

"What did you say?" Rima asked her on their way out.

"Nevermind. It wasn't important."

* * *

Rima separated from Amu and started walking toward her first class of the day. Amu had been acting a little strange in homeroom. First, she had walked in a bit disheveled and then when Tadase walked in, she didn't react the same as she normally did. She still blushed, but she didn't go off into la-la land and make that stupid Tadase face of hers.

_I wonder if something happened there…_

Maybe Amu had finally said something and he turned her down? _No…she'd be way more upset if it was something like that._ After all, her best friend had been in love with Tadase for the past three years or so.

Rima didn't understand it at all. How could anyone be in love with someone they don't know anything about? Sure, they all knew him a little since he'd been going to school with them for so long. But to her knowledge, Amu had never had a normal conversation with the boy. And he'd never said or done anything out of the ordinary to Amu that would make her fall for him.

She sighed. She just wished Amu would move on to someone new. Not that Tadase was a bad person and Rima certainly didn't have anything against him. But she wasn't sure Amu would ever be comfortable enough around him to be herself. Either that, or it was going to take years for it to get to that point. And Rima didn't know if she could stand it for another week, let alone a few years.

_Hmm…maybe her acting weird had something to do with that guy in her gym class. Iku-something or other._

It sure sounded like that boy took an interest in her the first day. And she could tell Amu was lying when she said he was "average-looking". She still wanted to meet this guy herself. He didn't sound as bad as Amu tried to make him out to be.

_So he touched her face…big whoop. At least he didn't touch her anywhere else._

But knowing Amu, she was probably still chewing that poor boy out for it, further ruining her chances to be with him. Rima shook her head. She'd have to talk some sense into that girl soon. The guy probably wouldn't have done it if he had known Amu was such a grudge-holder.

Rima reached the door to her cooking class and adjusted her backpack before entering. She walked toward the back of the class to the station where _he_ sat. _Amu should consider herself lucky._ She'd switch partners in a heartbeat.

She sat down next to him and slammed her backpack on the desk. She saw him flinch out of the corner of her eye. _Good._ The guy had every right to be on edge. It had taken all her willpower to not slap him across the face when she saw him the first day. _Pervert._

"Alright class," the teacher started, "We're going to cook our first dish today!"

The rest of the class cheered while Rima just snarled. _Now I _have _to interact with him._

"I thought we'd start simple and do Spaghetti and Meatballs! Now, you're going to be making the meatballs yourselves so it will take a little more work than the pasta so be sure to help each other out."

"I'll do the pasta." Rima said right away.

If she had to work with him, she was going to do as little as possible.

"Okay, I'll start on the meatballs then."

The supplies were already ready at their table for them along with the recipe. Rima took out a pot and started boiling the water for the pasta. After adding a little bit of salt, she put the lid on and waited.

She looked over at Nagihiko and her eyes went wide. He was already finished chopping the onions and was moving onto the parsley that was going to go in the meatballs. The knife went so fast, she was surprised he didn't cut off one of his fingers. Once he was done, he pushed the parsley aside with the knife and started on the garlic.

_Wow. He really knows what he's doing._

"Rima, the water!"

She blinked and realized Nagihiko was pointing his knife behind her. She turned to see the pot starting to boil over. _I completely forgot!_ She quickly turned the heat down and grabbed the handle on the lid without thinking. The pain came immediately and her hand flew back off.

"Ow!"

"Rima, are you okay?"

Nagihiko put down his knife, grabbed the pot holders and quickly moved the slowly cooling water to one of the back burners. Rima just stared at the red mark spreading across her right palm.

_Damnit. I had to go ahead and do something stupid right in front of him. I can't even boil water right._

Just then she felt something soothing on her hand. Ice. Nagihiko had grabbed some ice from the freezer and was pressing it into her palm. Her eyes followed him as he removed the ice every few seconds to look at the burn.

_Why is he being so nice?_

She just watched in silence as he gently ran his finger across the mark. He put the ice back on it one last time and looked at her.

"It doesn't look too bad. Just keep the ice on it for now."

_His eyes aren't as ugly up close. They look…_She stared into them for a second longer before looking down at her hand. She closed her fingers around the ice cube. _No it's probably just the lighting._

The teacher came over to make sure everything was alright and Rima assured her she was okay. Still, she was asked to sit out for the rest of the class. She sat down and watched as Nagihiko did everything himself. He reboiled the water, added the pasta, cooked the vegetables.

As she watched, she remembered him speaking to her the first day:

"_Rima, since we're partners and everything, I…I just want to apologize for last year. I didn't mean to do anything inappropriate. I just didn't want you to get hurt. If I had known, I would've tried to catch you differently. I'm sorry…"_

She had ignored him then. _If he had known…_She looked down at her hand again.

She remembered thinking the same thing about Ikuto when it came to Amu. Her eyes closed as a small smile formed on her face. _God, I'm such a hypocrite._ How could she be mad at Amu for not giving Ikuto a second chance when she couldn't even do it herself?

"Here you go, Rima."

_Huh?_

She looked up to see Nagihiko place a plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of her. Her eyes lit up. It looked and smelled amazing. She looked up and noticed all the other pairs were still finishing up. He'd done it quicker than everyone else, even without help.

_He did this all by himself and yet he still wants to share it with me._

She looked back at him.

"Nagihiko…I…"

Those eyes of his stared back at her and Rima felt a blush rise to her cheeks. She looked down immediately to hide it.

"Thank you…" she said.

* * *

**A/N: Yay for the first Rimahiko moment! Woo! Can't wait for the next one! Though the next chapter we'll switch over and see how Amu's day is going in gym class. It's definitely going to be a fun chapter. Are things finally going to start getting better for her and Ikuto? Hmm…guess you'll have to wait to find out!**


	7. Building Trust

**A/N: OMG 9 reviews?! That's 4 more than I was even hoping for! Who knew one little Rimahiko moment could do so much? Though I love them too =]**

**It made me soooooo happy! And so I'm rewarding you all with a good chapter!**

**Oh and I'm sorry about the missing italics in some places in the last chapter. Apparently the document manager likes to remove italics randomly so I'm going to make sure they are all there before I post this time.  
**

**Countdown to Amuto in 5…4…3…2…1…**

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Amu walked into the girl's locker room, still thinking about Rima. She had no idea how she was actually going to try and set her best friend up with that guy. It wasn't like she could lock the two in a room until they worked out their problems.

_Though that might work…_

She rid her mind of the thought as she got dressed in her gym uniform. She'd think about it more later. Right now she had to worry about making it through the next forty-five minutes without punching Ikuto in the face.

The other girls were casting glances in her direction and talking amongst themselves. There eyes weren't full of hatred anymore. More like a mixture of joy and shock.

"I can't believe she really kicked Ikuto yesterday."

"Yea, I guess we don't have to worry about her anymore. There's no way he'll pay attention to her now."

"Good more for us."

She could hear them snickering behind her. _Good. _At least now she didn't have to feel their eyes shooting daggers into her back every day. Especially when she had never liked the guy in the first place. She finished lacing up her shoes and headed out to the gym.

She saw that familiar blue hair and grimaced. Luckily for her, all they were doing today was the mile run so she didn't have to interact with him much at all. She certainly didn't need to hear him go on about how difficult it was going to be for him to get Tadase to like her. _Asshole._

"Yo." He said when she reached him.

"…"

"Ah, going with the silent treatment again, eh? Just so you know, that doesn't work on me."

She glared at him.

"I think I've made it perfectly clear," she started, "that I do not like you nor want to talk to you unless I have to."

"Wow, 'Don't beat around the bush or anything…'" he mocked her.

"…"

She heard him sigh before they started their stretches. _What? Did he expect me to be nice to him now just because he blackmailed me into doing his dirty work?_ True, she did want to help Rima, but she hoped he wasn't really going to try and 'help' her with Tadase. _He probably wants to dress me up in slutty outfits so he can get a glimpse of my underwear again._

They finished their stretches and waited for Kyoto to give them their instructions for the mile run. Most of the girls didn't really care. Amu had overheard them saying they were just going to walk most of it anyway since they weren't graded on the time.

"Alright class," Kyoto said, "As you know, we're going to do the mile run today. However, I noticed yesterday that some people were having some…issues with their partners."

Amu felt like he was looking directly at her and Ikuto. She looked down at the floor to avoid his gaze. _I never did get reprimanded for kicking Ikuto last time…_ She had a feeling she was about to get yelled at now.

"So before we start running, I'd like to do a little activity called the Trust Fall. Now, I'm sure you've all seen or heard of it before. I know it sounds stupid, but we're going to try it anyway since we've got extra time today."

_You've got to be kidding me._

"For the few of you who may not know," Kyoto continued, "it's very simple. All you have to do is stand a few feet in front of your partner, close your eyes, and fall backward. Then your partner catches you. Any questions?"

"I have one."

"What is it, Tsukiyomi?"

Amu looked over as Ikuto raised his hand. _Wow, is he really that dumb that he doesn't understand how the Trust Fall works?_ Then she noticed the smirk on his face.

"What if your partner isn't strong enough to catch you?"

The other kids started to laugh and Amu's jaw dropped for a second, but she closed it right away. She started to shake and curled her fingers into a fist. Her mind couldn't even process the words she wanted to say to him just then.

Kyoto just shook his head. "This isn't about strength. You have to trust that your partner _will_ catch you. On a real team, you have to trust everyone else out there with you to do their best just as they are trusting that you do yours. This is no different. If you doubt them, they will start to doubt themselves and things fall apart."

_Wow, that was kind of deep._ Not that it mattered. She didn't expect Ikuto to trust her and she certainly did not trust him.

"Let's get started. Boys you will fall first."

As Ikuto stepped a few feet in front of her, Amu started to wonder whether she should actually try to catch him or not. She did not trust him by any means, but she didn't want to piss Kyoto off again. Besides, did she really want to embarrass Ikuto like that in front of everyone?

The whistle blew for the boys to fall as Amu thought about how many times Ikuto had embarrassed _her_ in front of everyone. She had her answer. _Yes, yes I do._

He started to fall toward her so she took a step back and watched as his back smacked against the ground, followed by his head.

"Ow!"

Everyone looked over at them and Amu had to stifle her laughter as Ikuto got up holding the back of his head. She felt much better after watching that. Kyoto walked over, glaring at Amu.

"What happened, Hinamori?"

She cringed a little bit at the way he said her name. Like he knew _exactly_ what happened.

"Sorry, sir. I just dazed off a little bit and I didn't even hear the whistle blow."

"She's lying." Ikuto said, wincing.

Amu shot a glare in his direction before turning back to Kyoto. But she wished she hadn't when she saw his face. He was staring into her eyes and she felt it down to her toes. And not in a good way. Those normally gentle eyes were ruthless at the moment.

"Your turn, Amu," was all he said before walking away.

Ikuto smirked. _Shit. I still have to go._ She knew even before she fell that he wasn't going to catch her. And why should he? She stood there waiting for the whistle to blow. _Shit shit shit shit shit._ It's a strange thing to have to force yourself to fall on your head. But she had to go through with it. She had too much pride.

The whistle blew and she let herself fall. She had half a mind to give Ikuto the middle finger in the process but she didn't need to get into more trouble. The last thing she saw before her head smacked the floor was Ikuto looking down at her with that god damn smirk on his face.

"Tsukiyomi! Hinamori! My office, after school, no exceptions!"

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you two?"

Ikuto didn't respond. He couldn't look his teacher in the eye. He felt terrible for doing this to him, but what was he supposed to do? Amu let him fall first. She was staying just as silent as he was.

They were sitting in his office just outside the gym. Kyoto was leaning back against the front of his desk, arms crossed over his chest, staring at the two of them. He'd made them sit on two chairs next to each other in the middle of the room.

"Hinamori, I respected you for not being like the other squealing girls in the class, but it's only been three days and you're already causing me more trouble than they normally do."

Ikuto laughed to himself. He looked over and saw the red rise in her cheeks as she stared at the floor.

"And Tsukiyomi, I thought I was doing you a favor by partnering you with someone who would give you your space, but you haven't handled things much better than she has. I expected more from you now that you're a senior, but you've disappointed me."

Now it was his turn to be embarrassed. If there was one thing he hated, it was disappointing someone he respected. He really had acted childish.

"I do not want to have to switch partners around now that people are getting used to them. So we're going to get to the root of this problem right now and work things out. Let's start with yesterday. What happened during the sit-ups? Hinamori?"

_Shit._ _The last thing I need is for him to think I'm a perverted little kid. I just said that to tease her._

He watched as Amu blushed even more. He started to get a little nervous. He couldn't lose Kyoto sensei as a friend. He'd been Ikuto's teacher the last two years. He'd given him advice and helped him out whenever he needed it. Now he was going to lose all respect for him.

Amu glanced over at him, looking into his eyes as if she was searching for something. He stared back, not knowing what she wanted. Her eyes widened a little bit before she turned back toward Kyoto.

"I…umm…" she started.

_Oh god here it comes._ He closed his eyes and put his head between his hands.

"Well…you see…" she hesitated.

Ikuto opened his eyes again and looked at her. _What is she doing? _He knew very well how much she hated him. So why hadn't she just spit it out already? She looked at him one last time.

"He told me I had weak arms so I decided to show him how strong my legs were."

Ikuto and Kyoto both raised an eyebrow simultaneously. _What?_

_

* * *

  
_

"He told you that you had weak arms?"

Kyoto was staring at her with an indifferent expression on his face. Amu swallowed hard trying to figure out what to say. She was going to say what really happened. That he had looked down her shorts to see her underwear. Reveal Ikuto as the pervert he was.

But then she had looked at him for a moment. Just a moment, but it was long enough for her to see the sadness in his eyes. It was the same face he had made while talking about how good a guy his friend was yesterday. Just like then, she didn't know what was going on in his head, but now he looked…afraid.

It was an emotion she'd never expected to see in him and for some reason, after seeing him like that, she couldn't bring herself to tell Kyoto the truth. But she couldn't make it seem like she randomly kicked him out of nowhere. _Then I'd just sound crazy…_Besides, what she said was kind of true anyway.

"Well…not exactly…but he made fun of my push-up."

Kyoto looked over at Ikuto, who was partially smiling to himself. Amu almost regretted not ratting him out after seeing him look so smug. But then he surprised her.

"It's true. I did make fun of her," he said, "so I deserved that kick."

It was surprising that he admitted it, yes, but then he looked over at her and those blue eyes stared into hers in a way that made her feel like the only person in the room. She felt like his face was right in front of hers and she couldn't breathe.

"I'm sorry, Amu."

His voice felt like it reverberated throughout her body and she felt a chill creep up her spine. But it was quickly replaced by heat and she tore her eyes away before it showed up on her cheeks. _What the hell just happened to me?_

"Well, Amu?"

It was Kyoto's voice this time and she looked up at him, feeling her body temperature return to normal.

"Do you forgive him?"

She was afraid to look back at Ikuto. She didn't want whatever that was to happen again. Once was enough to know that he had meant it.

"Y-yes."

"Good," Kyoto smiled, "Then let's start over right now."

* * *

Amu was a little nervous standing in front of Ikuto in the middle of the gym. She waited for Kyoto to blow the whistle. Would he catch her this time? Did she trust him? She felt her stomach start to knot up.

_Why am I getting so nervous this time?_

It wasn't like it would change anything if he didn't catch her. So what was she afraid of? Did she want him to catch her? Did she _want_ to trust him?

The whistle blew. She closed her eyes, pushed the questions out of her mind, and fell backward.

Before she knew it, she felt hands grasp her shoulders and her body stopped as her head hit his chest. She felt him lean down. Felt his breath on her neck.

"Thanks," he whispered.

She opened her eyes as his hands moved down to her waist, lifting her to her feet. Her shoulders suddenly felt cold. He let go and she turned to face him. Bad choice. His eyes stared back at her and he flashed her a quick smile. Amu felt her breath catch.

"Alright switch."

She jumped at the sudden noise. _What is wrong with me today?_

Ikuto moved past her a few feet and she turned around to face his back. She could do this. It was like Kyoto said before, it didn't matter if she was strong enough. If he trusted her, she would catch him. She remembered the look he had given her in the office.

The whistle blew and she reached out to catch him. Her arms snaked under his and she wrapped them around his chest. She felt the weight bare down on her.

_God, he's just as heavy as I expected._

But she was determined not to let him fall. With a small grunt, she moved her hands to his back and pushed him to his feet. When he was standing straight, she let go and doubled over trying to catch her breath.

_I did it!_

She looked up and he turned around. He looked almost as shocked as she felt. Then his expression changed and he smirked at her. She fought the blush rising to her face. Maybe she didn't mind the smirk as much as she thought.

"Nice catch," he joked.

"You too I guess," she tried to sound annoyed, but couldn't stop herself from smiling back at him.

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**A/N: First of all, I just have to say that Ikuto is sexy. Second, that I love you guys bunches and I can't wait to see if you love this chapter as much as I do.**

**That's it for now. It might be another two days until I can get the next chapter up since Harry Potter comes out Wednesday. I will work on the next one a bit tomorrow but I might not finish it til Wednesday night so you can probably expect it then.**

**Some more Rimahiko maybe? I think so…**


	8. Not Just a River in Egypt

**A/N: So the reviews this time made me so happy that I feel I must respond to you all from now on.**

**XoxoFallenStarxoxo: **I'm glad you agree that Ikuto is sexy (like anyone would say otherwise…) And I'm glad you caught onto the irony. Remember how the teacher was like "Boys you will fall first." Totally wrote that on purpose. ;]

**Mystic Spirit Angel:** Oh don't worry. This is just the beginning of the Amuto moments. Ikuto's charm hasn't even been turned on yet. Mwuahahaha!

**Neji0392:** Let's totally exchange thoughts on Harry Potter after we see it! I'm totally excited for the Rimahiko too! It's going to be all cute and such =]. Oh p.s. Last time when you said you were waiting for reviews, I totally caught the hint and went to read your story, only to find out you had like 834927 of them and I didn't know where to start! But I promise I will get to it sometime soon!

**The Black Stray:** Thanks! I'm trying to take things slow on purpose because I think developing their relationship in a realistic way makes the story better! And I totally love your story by the way! Just saying!

**Neji'sTrueLover:** I was completely honored that you reviewed my story, especially since you normally don't review. Makes me feel extra special! =]. I will be sure to keep my author notes interesting and quirky now just for you!

**AnimeLovaXD:** Thanks for your reviews. Rimahiko/Amuto for the win!

**ArtGrrl-Sunna Bluecat:** To my most loyal reviewer (you've got one in on every chap so far) I send mucho love out to you! I'm glad you love my story so much. It makes me so happy to read that you do! It is only going to get better, I promise!

**Moonlight X Luna:** I know isn't it? Thank you for continuously reviewing also! I'm glad you read it at a normal hour this time! (Well I'm assuming you did, I actually have no idea…)

**Okay so maybe I won't keep doing that every time because it almost took up like a whole page! Just know that I love you all!**

**And so the story continues…**

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"What are you so happy about?"

Rima's voice brought Amu out of her daze and she looked over at her best friend. They were sitting in homeroom, waiting for the bell to ring to leave for their first class. It was Friday so everyone was anxious for the weekend to start. It had been a short week since school had started on Tuesday so the teachers could have Monday to prepare.

"What are you talking about, Rima?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You had this…like…smirk on your face. I've never seen you do that before."

"A smirk?!"

"Yeah."

Amu felt the familiar heat rising to her cheeks for the umpteenth time that week. _I was…smirking?_ Just the thought of it brought the image of a certain someone smirking at her to her brain. _Don't tell me he's rubbing off on me._

"So…?" Rima trailed off.

"Huh?"

"So tell me what you were thinking about that made you smirk like that."

Her blush deepened. Okay so she _had_ been thinking of him. But not in any special way. She was just thinking about how funny it was that in just three days, she'd gone from hating the guy to…_to what? Are we friends now?_

"Okay something is definitely up. I haven't seen you blush like that since swim class in middle school when you got to see Tadase with his shirt off."

"Oh come on now. Who wouldn't blush at that?"

"Umm, most people. He was so white I had to shade my eyes to look at him. And stop avoiding the subject."

"You're the one who brought up Tadase with his shirt off!"

"You were thinking of that guy from your gym class weren't you?"

Amu blushed again at the sudden question. "N-no!"

"Ha! You so were! And that was your face for him. What was his name again? Iku…Ikuto! That was your Ikuto face!" Rima starting laughing so hard that people were looking in their direction.

"Shut up, Rima!" Amu reached out and slapped her friend on the arm. But Rima kept laughing and she realized it was the first time she'd really seen her best friend laugh like that all week. In fact, she seemed to be in a better mood altogether.

"What about you? Why are _you_ in such a good mood today?"

Rima stopped laughing. "What?"

"You haven't laughed like that since I accidentally left the house without my skirt on last year."

"Oh yeah," she started laughing again, "that's still funny by the way. And I'm not any different than normal."

"Oh? So you're telling me that you smiling all the sudden has nothing to do with things getting better between you and your cooking partner?"

"How did you know about that?!"

"I didn't, I was just guessing. But you just admitted it was true." Amu smiled as she watched a tint of red spread over Rima's face. _Ha! _

"So spill," Amu said.

"Nothing happened. I just realized he wasn't completely terrible is all. So I can probably suffer through first term without killing him."

"_Suffer_? That blush on your face doesn't seem like you're _suffering_ through anything. And you say I'm in denial."

Rima shot her a nasty glare but Amu just stuck her tongue out at her best friend. The bell rang before Rima had a chance to respond and she got up and walked out without saying a word more to Amu.

* * *

_I am not in denial! _Rima gritted her teeth at no one in particular as she walked down the hall toward cooking class. Just because he iced her hand and made her spaghetti and meatballs did not mean she liked the guy. They weren't even friends.

The good news was Amu hadn't denied that she had been thinking about Ikuto. Rima smiled. _Hopefully things are getting better for those two._ She hadn't even heard Amu talk about Tadase at all in the past day or so. And that was progress. She wished she could help move things along, but what could she do?

She sighed and entered the classroom, heading toward the back.

"Hi, Rima. How's your hand?"

Rima looked up at Nagihiko as she set her bag down on the floor. He was smiling at her. She felt a blush coming but fought it back. _I am NOT in denial!_

"It's fine," she said with a hint of anger.

She certainly wasn't going to let Amu tell her how _she_ felt. She hadn't really had a crush on anyone since sixth grade, and even that was fleeting. There was no way she was developing feelings for this guy after one day. _Hmph. I'll show her!_

"Alright class," the teacher said, "today you will be making Strawberry Shortcake. You have three things to make: the biscuits, the filling, and the whip cream. Since you are only working in pairs, you'll have to figure out how to work together to make all three things. Have fun!"

She knew right away she was not going to do the strawberry filling. She didn't need Nagihiko to watch her cutting the strawberries at a snail's pace knowing he could do it in seconds.

"Which part do you want to do, Rima?" He said, smiling.

It was happening again. Her cheeks. The heat. She snapped her head in a different direction to avert his gaze. _Control yourself, Rima! There is nothing special about that smile!_

"I'll do the whip cream," she finally said. Today was about proving to Nagihiko that she wasn't totally useless. Who knows what he thought of her when she couldn't even boil water.

Not that she cared what he thought of her.

* * *

"Okay, I'll start on the strawberries then."

Nagihiko found himself wondering what had happened to Rima since class yesterday. He had been totally speechless when she thanked him for making her spaghetti and meatballs. And he was sure he'd blushed as well. It had thrown him off guard to say the least.

He hadn't even told Ikuto about it because he was afraid he'd jinx himself. He felt hopeful when he walked into class this morning, but now he felt like the tension between them had come back. Or at least she seemed a bit…on edge.

_I guess I analyzed things wrong._ _I mean, she could've just thanked me out of politeness._ He would've said the same thing to anyone who made him food.

He sighed as he started cutting the strawberries. _Maybe I said something wrong when she walked in?_ He thought about it for a second. _Nah, that can't be it. All I did was ask how her hand was…_

_Maybe I did a bad job with the ice. Maybe it got worse and she was lying when she said it was fine. _According to Ikuto, that was something girls did a lot. Nagihiko felt his grip on the knife tighten. His hands were starting to sweat.

_What if that is it? What else could it be? That has to be it. Damnit. _He cursed himself as he started to cut the strawberries even faster. _I knew I should've put some ointment on it. Way to go, Nagi._ _Once again, it's your fault she hates you._

"…Nagihiko?"

He blinked and looked to his left. Rima was staring at him with an eyebrow raised and a weird look on her face. He looked down again and noticed he had cut one poor strawberry into a million tiny pieces.

"Whoops, guess I got carried away there…ha…ha.." He laughed nervously.

_Great. Now I look psychotic. _

He tossed the mutilated strawberry remnants away and started cutting again. He was about to give up on this whole ordeal anyway. Last he had heard from Ikuto, he and Amu had been fighting constantly so he couldn't really help out. And he obviously wasn't doing well on his own.

He sighed again. _I guess it's not a huge deal. I mean I don't know much about her anyway, right?_

He looked over at her. She was slowly mixing the cream with a whisk, waiting for it to lighten. After just a few seconds, one of her eyebrows started to twitch and she clenched her teeth. _Uh oh._

She started mixing it faster and faster until he could hear the whisk scraping the bottom of the bowl. Drops of whip cream started flying out and when one landed on her nose, she finally let go of the whisk.

"Uh, Rima, do you need help?"

"No," she glared at him, "I can do it myself!"

Nagihiko cringed. "S-sorry…"

He turned back to the strawberries. He'd finished cutting them and now all that was left was the biscuits. He gathered the ingredients to start making the dough.

_Yep. She still hates me._

He glanced back over his shoulder. She was mixing it even faster than before, her teeth grinding together as she worked her arm in circles. _At this rate there's going to be no whip cream left…But still…_

As he looked at her getting all worked up over it, he couldn't help but think that she looked…he felt himself blush again. _She's kind of cute when she's angry…_ Which was terrible for him. Because normally if a girl was angry with him, he'd just shrug it off and move on. But with Rima, her angry face just reminded him of how cute she was.

So he was stuck. There was nothing she could do that would make him dislike her. And she was clearly not on the path to liking him anytime soon. He was starting to get depressed just thinking about it. _Damnit Nagi, get a hold of yourself. _He'd never forgive himself if he started crying in the middle of cooking class.

If only he had just wrapped his arms around her waist when she fell…

"…Nagihiko…"

He flinched at the sound of his name. _What did I do now?_ He looked down to see if he was kneading the dough with unnecessary violence. _No, perfectly normal._ So he turned to look at her and his eyes widened.

She was practically covered from head to toe in whip cream droplets.

"…I…" she looked at him earnestly, "Can you help me?"

The blush came to his cheeks so fast he couldn't stop it.

* * *

Rima gave herself a mental slap in the face. She couldn't make it through one dish without screwing something up. Nagihiko had already finished the strawberries and was almost done with the biscuits and she couldn't even make the whip cream.

Perhaps if she wasn't so tense and stressed out thinking about other things all the time, she could focus. She realized there was no need for her to get so worked up about cooking class. If anything, it was the one class she shouldn't have to worry about so she made up her mind that she was no longer going to since it obviously wasn't getting her anywhere.

And when it came to Nagihiko…what Amu didn't know wouldn't hurt her. She had taken her frustrations out on him all class and he had done nothing but ask how her hand was and if she needed help. She didn't need to have feelings for him to be nice to him.

"Nagihiko…I…" She swallowed her pride. "Can you help me?"

And then he blushed. _What? Why is _he _blushing? I'm the one who should be embarrassed._ Even so, it made him look…almost…kind of…cute. She gasped as she realized what she was thinking and immediately turned back to the bowl of cream.

"Of course," he said.

_He's probably wondering why I'm even here at all since I don't contribute anything ever._ _He worked so much quicker without me last time, he doesn't even need me here._ _And now he's going to make the whip cream. I should just let him do everything next time…_

She frowned. He had started a new bowl and was adding sugar to the cream.

"Rima, grab the whisk."

She reached for it and handed it to him. He just turned and looked at her with a confused expression at first, but then he smiled. And she didn't blush this time. _See, you don't like him, Rima. You just weren't used to it that's all._

That aside, she had no idea why he was smiling at her.

"You said you wanted the whisk right?"

"No, I told you to grab the whisk. It's not fun if I do everything. Stand here. I'll show you."

He moved aside to let her stand in front of the bowl, then moved so he was behind her. She felt his fingers graze her elbow and he slid his hand down her forearm and took hold of her wrist.

In reality, this movement happened in about a second. But she felt every single touch of his skin against hers and there was no stopping the heat this time. It shot through her arm and up to her cheeks so quickly that she was grateful he was behind her and couldn't see it.

Slowly, her wrist started to move.

"Just start out slow, and then after about a minute go a little bit quicker, but not too fast or the peaks will never form."

"P-peaks?"

"Yeah. When you've done it right, you should be able to lift the whisk a few inches from the bowl and the cream will come with it, staying attached to the spoon. That's called a peak."

He was moving her arm a little bit quicker now, but all she could feel was the light tingle where his breath hit her neck when he spoke. _Just concentrate on the cream, Rima._

"Not so fast, Rima."

"S-sorry."

_Gah. I'm stuttering again. What the hell!_

Finally, he pulled her wrist up to remove the whisk from the mixture. And just like he said, a peak formed between the whisk and the cream. Rima's eyes widened at the sight of it. He made it seem so simple.

"See, you did it!" He let go of her arm.

She turned around to see him smiling at her. She didn't feel a blush. Didn't feel the need to lash out at him. Or at Amu. She just felt…happy. So she did the only thing that felt natural. She smiled back at him.

"Thanks."

And then he did it again. He blushed at her. And apparently it was contagious.

_Damnit, Amu!_

_

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**A/N: Gah! Sorry it took forever for me to upload this! I wrote it in bits and pieces. And it turned out to be a lot longer than I thought. Whoops! Oh well, no one has complained about length yet. Overall, I like this chapter. It actually turned out a little different than I planned, but oh well. Unfortunately, my mind and my fingers don't always produce the same thing. Hope you guys are okay with it!**

**The next two chapters are centered around Amu and Ikuto (and there's gonna be a little bit of Nagihiko as well) but fear not Rimahiko fans, more will come soon!**

**And OMG, I've come up with so many more ideas for the last few chapters that it makes it hard for me to concentrate on these ones because I want to write those ones so badly. Nagi is so cute in my head and I hope I can make him come across write on paper. GAH so excited to write those chapters!**

**Anyway, after that long spiel, R&R!**

**P.S. Harry Potter was awesome. The climactic scene was a little disappointing, but oh well! Still awesome!**

**P.S.S. For those of you who don't know, the title of this chapter comes from the joke/saying: "Denial is not just a river in Egypt."  
**


	9. Are We Friends?

**A/N: OMG another chapter! Finally! I know, I know. It took awhile, but like I said before, I work Friday-Sunday every weekend so I have very little time to write. And it's also a little late because I made this Amuto x Rimahiko x Kutau AMV and YouTube decided after all my hard work that I couldn't use the song I picked. So all that energy and time went to waste. I almost cried I was so frustrated =[.**

**Either way, I've learned my lesson and won't try working on another one until this story is finished so you guys won't have to worry about that happening again. And I'm trying to get this story done by August 20th so I can enter xoxoFallenStarxox's story contest! You should all enter too if you have a story! Just go to her page and you'll see it in her stories and you can read all about it.**

**I know August 20th seems far away but the story isn't even halfway done yet! So I'm gonna try and write as much as I can so I can finish it.**

**And the story isn't completely planned out, but I'm trying to keep my planning 2 or 3 chapters ahead of the writing so I always have something to work with. I'm stuck on working out the Tadase parts at the moment (Duh, who wants to write those scenes anyway…) But alas, they must happen.**

**The plot starts moving forward again in this chapter (thunderous applause). Yay! But I will of course try and work in some cute little moments here and there to keep the romance lovers at bay ;]. So Enjoy! **

**And thanks so much to everyone who reviewed this time. 11! I was blown away, and most of them were new people too! (xXLove'n'HateXx please don't send an angry mob to me! I will try and update constantly! Lol)**

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Amu finished tying her shoes and shut the gym locker in front of her. She was feeling a little nervous. She was about to see Ikuto for the first time since he'd caught her yesterday. Was she supposed to be nice to him now? Should she say hello when she sees him or should she wait and see if it he says it first?

_Calm down, Amu. You're being ridiculous. Just go with it._

She took a deep breath and opened the doors to the gym. Walking toward the rest of the class, she noticed he wasn't there yet. She let out a sigh of relief. _Good. Maybe he won't show up today and I won't have to worry about talking to him at all._

"Yo."

She cringed at the sound of his voice. She looked to the right to see him standing next to her. _Where the hell did he come from?_

"H-hi…"

"What's up?"

"Uhh…nothing. Just…um…stretching."

She quickly started stretching her arms as if to prove she wasn't lying. He followed suit and began stretching as well. Neither said another word as they moved through their exercises.

After a few minutes, the silence started eating away at Amu. Normally they'd be arguing with each other at this point so she never had to worry about it. Now, it just seemed awkward.

She opened her mouth to say something, but after a few seconds of wracking her brain, she just closed it again. _What am I supposed to say?_ _How are you?_ That just seemed stupid.

"You okay over there?"

"Huh?" She looked over at him.

"Your facial expression just changed like four times in the last ten seconds."

"What? No it didn't! And I'm fine."

_Was he staring at me?_

The silence came back again as they both sat down to finish stretching out their legs. _Who knew things would be so weird now…_

"Hey…"

She looked over at him again. He'd stopped stretching and was now staring toward the front of the room. _Was he talking to me?_

"I know I already said it, but thanks for not ratting me out yesterday."

Amu felt herself blush as he continued.

"I'm not sure why you did it, but I owe you one," he said, finally looking at her.

The blush deepened. She wasn't really even sure why she had done it. _It was that face…_she reminded herself. That face he had made when she looked at him. That face that made her realize there was more to this guy than she knew.

"You just seemed so…sad," she confessed

She saw his eyes widen at her words. Those deep blue eyes. He continued to stare at her and she felt that chill run down her spine again so she tore herself away from his gaze.

"I don't really know what happened, but thanks for not letting me crack my head open on this floor again," she said, trying to change the subject.

_He needs to stop staring at me like that!_ She didn't like that tingling sensation she felt when his eyes got all mysterious like that. It just confused her.

"Guess it means you must trust me then, hmm?" He said, smirking at her this time.

Her eyes narrowed. She still didn't know how she felt about that smirk. So it made him look se—not ugly. But it still made him seem full of himself.

"You trusted me too!" She blurted out, pointing at him.

"Guess you're right."

He had that perverted glint back in his eyes, which, she hated to admit, she much preferred over the sadness. She could handle perverted Ikuto, but not that other side of him.

"Oh, I almost forgot," she started, "Rima and your friend are getting along now!"

"What?" He looked surprised.

"Yeah, I talked to her about it this morning, and she said he wasn't as 'terrible' as she thought."

"Well, that's good."

"And she blushed!" Amu almost giggled thinking about Rima's face earlier.

"So?"

"What do you mean, so? That's a good sign!" Amu frowned at Ikuto's lack of excitement.

"It is?"

"Yeah. It means she's embarrassed talking about him, which means she's hiding something, which means she might like him!"

"Oh really? So you're saying when a girl blushes around a guy, it means she might like him?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I just said."

"Then you might like me an awful lot, huh?" He leaned toward her, bringing their faces closer.

"What? No! I-I…" She swallowed hard. _Whatever you do, don't blush Amu!_

_

* * *

  
_

Ikuto fought back a smile as he leaned toward her. She'd made it too easy for him to tease her. Her mouth parted slightly as his face got closer. It was like the first day all over again.

Except this time…for some reason…seeing her lips parted like that…He instinctively reached his hand up to her face, the pads of his fingers lightly grazing her cheek. She felt so warm. He continued to move closer until their noses were almost touching.

_Shit, what am I doing?_

Her yellow eyes were staring back into his and he could see the fear and surprise in them. But she wasn't moving. Wasn't stopping him. Should he do it? He could feel her breath on his mouth and it made his lips tingle in anticipation.

He'd never felt the need to kiss someone as much as he wanted to kiss her now. And he had no idea why. His hand was still on her cheek. Their noses were touching now and her eyelids started to flutter shut.

Then he suddenly felt at least one pair of eyes on his back. And he remembered where they were. That they weren't alone. So he suppressed his urge, slid his fingers down to her chin, and pushed her mouth closed. He moved away from her and let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"You should really learn to keep your mouth closed." He said, forcing a smirk.

Meanwhile, he was searching his brain for some clue as to what just happened to him.

* * *

Amu was completely and totally speechless. Her entire body felt like in was on fire. Half from anger at being teased and half from…whatever it was that just happened between them.

It was a good thing Kyoto sensei started talking to them because she couldn't come up with a response. She was trying to work things out in her mind, but all she could think about was how close his mouth had been to hers.

_Why didn't I try to stop it? I could've slapped him or something!_

She'd never been that close to _anyone_ before. The only person she'd ever even imagined herself that close to was Tadase. And even then, she'd never felt like _that_. The worst part was, she was starting to realize that it was very possible that she hadn't tried to stop it because she hadn't wanted to.

_That's just stupid, Amu. Why would you want him to kiss you? You don't even know the guy._

But her lips felt otherwise. They were quivering with disappointment. His breath had even smelt good. There had still been a minty scent to it left over from the toothpaste he must have used that morning.

During class, they had to do a bunch of individual tests with Kyoto so she and Ikuto didn't talk at all. When they reunited to do their ending stretches, he was the first to speak up.

"So tell me about Tadase."

Amu practically fell over trying to touch her toes.

"What?"

"Well you seem to be doing your part with Rima, so now it's my turn to help you, right? And I'm going to have to know a little about him to help you out."

"Uhh…right. Well…he's…blond. And..umm…super nice…and…"

"Amu…"

She looked over at him, fighting the urge to blush. It was the first time she'd made eye contact with him since their…moment earlier.

"W-what?" she managed to ask.

"I don't care what he looks like. Tell me about _him_. Like what does he like to do? What does he want to be? Does he like sports? Those sorts of things."

"No, yeah, right. Umm…" She racked her brain for some information on Tadase.

"Amu," he raised his eyebrow at her, "Do you know _anything_ about him?"

"Of course I do," she stammered, "I-I just…umm…"

He shook his head at her. "So when you said you guys didn't talk much, did you really mean you didn't talk ever?"

"No. It's happened a few times!"

"Right…Well first things first, you're not going to get this guy by watching from the sidelines. You have to be able to talk to him. And in order for you to do that, we've got to build your confidence."

"Well how do we do that?"

He looked up at the ceiling as if he were thinking about something before looking back at her.

"I've got some ideas."

"Okay…"

_What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

Just then Kyoto blew his whistle for them to go to change and get ready for their second class and Ikuto stopped stretching and started walking toward the boy's locker room.

"Well, wait. What about Rima and your friend? Shouldn't we figure out what to do about them?"

He turned around to look at her.

"How about you meet me at the mall tomorrow and we'll figure it out. Around noon?"

"The mall? Where in the mall?"

"I don't know. How about near the movie theater?"

"What? Wait, what are we going to do in the mall anyway?"

"You'll see. Besides, I want you to meet him."

"Meet who?"

"Nagihiko."

* * *

**A/N: Yay Amu finally gets to meet Nagihiko! Okay so I've discovered that apparently I seem to overestimate my ability to be able to condense things in this story. That was only supposed to be the first half of this chapter and the Nagihiko meeting was supposed to be the second. But obviously that didn't happen. So now I have to put it at the beginning of the next chapter, and hopefully that won't take up a whole chapter so that this story doesn't take 50 chapters to write! GAH!**

**So since the plot didn't really move forward very much in this chapter, I promise it will in the next one, which should hopefully be up tomorrow night. Though I'm sure no one's complaining about the Amuto smut going on in this one! And assuming that I don't in fact take forever having Amu meet Nagihiko, we'll get to more Amuto in the next one!**

**And another character will make their first appearance in this story. Can you guess who?**


	10. Strategizing

**A/N: Thanks once again to everyone who reviewed and to all the new readers! I get 3 or 4 new story favorites and alerts with each chapter and it gets me all excited! I actually think it's funny that the Rimahiko chapters get more reviews than the Amuto ones.**

**And xXLove'n'HateXx, I laughed out loud through your entire review! Yes let's definitely send that mob to YouTube. You're a useful ally to have since you have the amazing ability to create a mob, anger them, and then send them off to do your bidding whenever you please. So…friends? **

**TsukiyomiAlikutoMissaWatusi (who will from now on be known as TAMW in order to keep myself sane) I totally agree that he should've kissed her. Or if he's not gonna kiss her, at least kiss me! Right?**

**Mystic Spirit Angel, I hate to say it, but Tadase will soon have a bigger role in this story so there's no getting rid of him for now =[. I promise you'll forgive me by the time it's all over! And don't worry, Nagi will have his fun with Ikuto soon enough. This story isn't called Tagteam Matchmakers for nothing! ;]**

**Neji0392, unfortunately it is not Kukai(who has technically been mentioned to be Tadase's best friend and will have a small role in the future) and I don't have any plans for Yaya in this story, though she may make a tiny cameo in a later chapter just for kicks and giggles. **

**(ArtGrrl and Kit2000 I haven't forgotten about you. I just have nothing quirky to say in response. I still appreciate your reviews!)**

**Guess you'll have to read and see who it is! Assuming that this chapter actually makes it to that point I mean. Which it better! Cause there's two more chapters I plan on writing before the weekend comes around again and they go together pretty much so you won't be too happy if I have to stop in the middle! So cross your fingers!**

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_Nagihiko?_

Amu was sitting at one of the tables in the eatery by the movie theater. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was tapping her foot against the ground. It was already past twelve and she hadn't seen any sign of Ikuto.

_Nagihiko…I know I've heard that name before…_

Just then her vision went black as a warm hand covered her eyes and she jumped in her seat.

"Guess who?"

She could practically see him smirking behind her. She removed his hand from her face, stood up and turned around to yell at him.

"Why did you have to scare me like that? And why are you so late? I've been waiting for you for like fifteen minutes!"

"Woah, calm down. I didn't realize you missed me so much." He smirked again.

"Whatever. Get over yourself." She landed a playful smack on his arm, sticking her tongue out at him.

It was then that she realized there was someone else staring at her from behind Ikuto. _Long purple hair…yellow eyes…_

"Oh my god. _You're_ Nagihiko!"

She gave herself a mental slap in the face. _Duh Amu. You're meeting Ikuto's friend. The one who likes Rima._ Neither Ikuto or her best friend had really ever referred to him by his name before.

"No shit, Sherlock."

She sent a nasty glare in Ikuto's direction before reaching behind him to introduce herself.

"Hi!" she said with a smile.

"H-hi," he said smiling nervously.

Her smile grew bigger at the site of him. He _was_ cute. Rima was definitely in denial about this one. And he was even nervous to meet her, which just made him even cuter.

"I'm Amu," she finally said, "Rima's best friend."

"It's nice to meet you," he said with a little more confidence this time, "And you seem to already know my name."

She liked him already. He was _so_ much nicer than Ikuto. She was already picturing him and Rima walking together, hand in hand, down the hallways at school. She sighed to herself.

"Nagihiko works at the bookstore over there so I told him he should spend his lunch break with us," Ikuto said.

"Oh, okay. Well then why don't we all go grab something to eat real quick and meet back at this table?" She flashed another smile at Nagihiko.

"Sounds great," he said smiling back.

* * *

Ikuto stood in line at the pizza place with Nagihiko while Amu had gone off in search of a hamburger. He laughed to himself as he remembered her face when she realized who Nagihiko was. _She can be such an airhead sometimes._

"So…"

He blinked and looked up to see Nagihiko staring at him.

"What?"

"Do you have something you want to tell me?"

Ikuto raised an eyebrow at him. "Umm…no?"

"So you're telling me there's nothing going on between you two?"

"Between who? Me and Amu?!" Ikuto started laughing. "Definitely not."

"If you say so."

"Did you see how she started yelling at me right away? She's _always_ like that. We're always arguing."

"If by arguing, you mean flirting, then yes, I did see it." Nagihiko grinned.

"Please. Don't be ridiculous."

He fought a blush as he remembered the almost kiss he had with Amu yesterday. He still didn't know what had come over him then, but he was going to make sure it didn't happen again. There was no way he had feelings for the girl. Not to mention she had a crush on Tadase. Nagi didn't know what he was talking about.

* * *

Nagihiko couldn't stop smiling at his best friend. He hadn't expected this at all. Ikuto had told him about the deal he'd made with Amu, but regardless of what Ikuto said, there was something going on there. He had seen Ikuto around tons of different girls and he'd never acted that way with any of them.

And he seemed to get rather defensive with him just for mentioning it. Which just proved to Nagihiko that Ikuto was probably in denial. It didn't really matter though. He was sure things would work themselves out and those two would eventually realize it on their own.

Unfortunately, it wasn't so easy with Rima. She had to actually _have_ those feelings for him in order for her to realize them. And he wasn't so sure about that. It had been painfully silent between them after he'd helped her make the whip cream yesterday.

She had finally smiled around him for the first time, but then it was like she was afraid to look at him after that. She hadn't even looked up the whole time they were eating the strawberry shortcake together.

_Ugh. Feels like I'm getting nowhere._

_

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_

Amu arrived back at the table at the same time as Ikuto and Nagihiko. She sat down across from them, still smiling like she was before. She couldn't help it. She'd only met Nagihiko for a few minutes so far and she was already excited to work her magic for him and Rima.

"So Nagihiko, tell me what you like about Rima," she said not wasting any time.

She saw him blush and practically died. _Oh my god. So. Cute._ Though maybe she was being a little forward. She probably should've started out by asking him about himself, but they only had so much time before he had to go back to work. Might as well cut to the chase.

"Uh…well…I…"

"Oh you know, Amu," Ikuto cut in, "Probably the same things you like about Tadase…blond…super cute…_funny_."

He coughed through that last one. Amu glared at him and kicked him underneath the table.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"That was for interrupting Nagihiko. And for making fun of me. Ass."

"Well _maybe_ you shouldn't have asked such a straightforward question right off the bat. You made him uncomfortable."

"No, it's okay—" Nagihiko tried to cut in.

"Well _maybe_ I'm just trying to make sure he has good intentions before I try hooking him up with my best friend!" she said, smacking her hand down on the table.

"_Maybe_ you should just trust me when I say he's a good guy," he said, leaning across the table toward her.

"_Trust _you?" She leaned toward him, "Oh you mean like when I trusted you the other day and you let me fall on my ass!"

"You let me fall first!" He leaned even closer, clenching his fist.

"Uhh..guys?"

Their faces were only a few inches apart now. She swallowed as she realized how close they were. Those blue eyes were staring into hers again, but she couldn't pull herself away this time.

"Well," she said, her voice much softer now, "I caught you the second time, didn't I?"

She was panting a little from yelling so much, her mouth slightly open. His features softened at her words.

"Yeah," he said almost whispering, "and I caught you too…"

She saw his eyes glance down at her lips before returning to her own again. Her body was heating up as she continued to stare at him. His breath smelled like pizza this time, but for some reason she didn't mind. She suddenly found herself wondering what her breath smelled like. _Is it bad?_

It didn't really matter though because he moved in closer and she lost the ability to breathe altogether. She was staring at his lips now, watching as they slowly got closer and closer to hers. Her mind reeled with the possibilities of what was about to happen.

And then her phone rang.

She flinched at the sound and Ikuto pulled away immediately. She fell back into her chair and flipped open her cell phone, trying her best not to think about what just happened.

"Hello? Rima?"

She looked over at Nagihiko who was already blushing.

"Oh I'm uhh…shopping…with my mom. Yeah. A movie? Which one? Rima! You know I hate scary movies! Ugh. Fine. Tomorrow? Sure. Okay I'll pick you up around 6? Cool. See you then!"

She clicked the End button on her phone, but continued to stare at the screen. She was afraid to look up. Afraid to look into those damn eyes again.

"This is perfect. We can set up a surprise date at the movies."

This time she had to look up at him.

"What?"

"Yeah, what?" Nagihiko joined in.

She tried not to focus on his smirk as he continued.

"Yeah, we'll meet you and Rima there and 'bump' into you guys in the movie line. Then you can suggest that we all sit together and we'll figure out a way to get those two next to each other."

He brushed off his shoulder like it was the most ingenious thing he'd ever said. And Amu had to admit, it actually was a good plan. It would be easy to set up like an accident anyway. Especially since it was Rima's idea.

"Alright. That's fine. The movie is at seven."

"Which movie is it?

"Orphan."

Nagihiko laughed nervously, which made her smile again.

"Don't worry Nagihiko, we'll make sure everything goes smoothly with Rima, okay?"

"I don't think that's what he's nervous about." Ikuto laughed.

Nagihiko shot him a nasty glare before looking at his watch.

"I gotta go, guys. Work calls. It was nice meeting you, Amu," he said smiling again, "Don't have too much fun without me."

He grinned and glanced at Ikuto, who looked away, before turning to leave.

"See you tomorrow Nagihiko," she called out before looking at Ikuto. _What was that about?_

She realized that the two of them were alone again. She needed to get out of there before she lost control of herself and did something irrational.

"Well that was fun," she said, getting up to leave, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

She turned and scurried toward the closest door, but didn't get very far before someone grabbed onto her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She turned to see Ikuto looking back at her. _Shit._

"Umm..home?"

He smirked. "I don't think so."

He pulled her in the opposite direction toward the shops in the mall.

"Where are we going?!" she cried.

"It's time for your first confidence boost."

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**A/N: OMG just kiss her already Ikuto! Gah! So I totally took up an entire chapter with this. I can't even believe it. Even after I told myself not to. Sigh. But Don't worry! I'm going to try to get ahead of myself on the writing so I can have what I want done before I leave for work on Friday and I'll just post the last one for the week when I get home Friday night.**

**The only snag in the plan is that someone asked if I could work for them today so I agreed, but it's only a 6 hour shift so it shouldn't put me too far behind schedule! It just means I'll be writing A LOT on Thursday!**

**Otherwise, I guess after Thursday's post, you'll have to wait until Monday to figure out what happens! Yay for scary movie dates! Have you seen the preview for that movie Orphan? It's looks WAY too creepy for me to be able to see! I couldn't come up with a good fake scary movie title on my own so I just went with the first one that came to mind.**


	11. Mixing Business With Pleasure

**A/N: Alright so my schedule has been completely messed up. So it's very possible that you might not get another chapter until Monday. (Sunday is my birthday otherwise I'd say you'd get it Sunday night). Sorry! But I decided that was best instead of giving you only the first half of the movie scene. This way I can write the first part one day and the second part the next day!**

**Shit, I totally work Monday. Son of a gun. Well you'll still probably get the next one Monday night. So no worries!**

**Anywho, to the usual:**

**Kit2000, oh don't worry, I'm sure you'll be just as happy with Rima's reaction as I am! It's gonna be good.**

**xSkulls-n-Bonesx, I agree, Nagihiko is just so cute I want to eat him up. And I didn't think he would be the kind of guy to push Amu and Ikuto's heads together. He's more of a…let things happen naturally kind of guy.**

**xXLove'n'HateXx, Yes the fun will begin soon (laughs maniacally). I'm so excited! And unfortunately I took Spanish in high school/college so I don't know how to say awesome in French =[. And I guess you can call me Goldy lol. Though it makes me feel kinda like Goldilocks, and I'm totally a brunette. The name stands for Flavor Blasted Goldfish so you can make something out of that if you want. But Goldy works for me I guess haha.**

**Kaggie101, we'll find out what Nagi's afraid of. And yes I guess you could say Ikuto is going to take her shopping…sort of. Once you read you'll see what I mean since that is this chapter.**

**xXx-Black-And-White-Roses-xXx****, I don't know how to tell you this, but I have no problems with you hurting Big Bird so you'll have to come up with a different threat =P**

**HarukaHorror, Thanks! Yes, Amu is kind of airhead, but that's why we love her so much!**

**Neji0392, I know wasn't their moment amazing? I got giddy just writing it. Just as I got sad when I made it so he didn't kiss her yet. Sigh. And are you trying to tell me Amuto is better than Rimahiko or were you saying I'm going to win the contest?! But not in the Rimahiko category? =[. **

**TAMW, I definitely LOLed at you saying he should kiss you. How about this, I'll let him kiss you first, and then I'll have him forever and ever afterward, K?**

**SunamiHV, thanks for reviewing some of the older chapters! And I hate scary movies too, especially Orphan. Totally not seeing it. I wouldn't sleep for days!**

**xhappily-randomx, yes denial is such a wonderful thing in this story. Sigh. He'll probably figure it out before she does though. ;]**

**And now onto Amu's confidence boost! By the way, this is one of those chapters that I know the gist of what's going to happen but not most of the details so I'm going to start writing this and hope that it all works out really. So hope for the best! Lol**

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"Stop dragging me already! I'm not going to go anywhere okay?"

Ikuto gave Amu a doubtful look before finally letting go of her arm.

"Fine. We're almost there anyway."

Amu rubbed at the spot on her forearm where he had gripped her. _Geeze that was rough._ He'd dragged her through practically half the mall without telling her where they were going.

She walked next to him, trying her best to seem interested in the shops they passed. Whenever she let her mind wander off, she'd always end up thinking about what happened back at the table at lunch. _Did I actually want him to kiss me?_ She shook her head. _There's no way._

But when she glanced sideways to look at him, she felt her cheeks get hot. _Not again!_ This could not be happening to her. She shouldn't be getting all flustered over some guy she barely knew. Especially when that particular guy was trying to help her get the guy she really wanted.

_That's right, Amu. Just think of Tadase._

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed all thoughts of Ikuto out of her mind. Then she pictured that blond head of hair with those gentle pink eyes staring at her. She sighed as she let her mind conjure up one of the thousand fantasies of her and Tadase together.

"Amu!"

She was suddenly jerked to the left as she opened her eyes again. Ikuto was looking at her with a strange expression on his face.

"What the hell were you doing?" he asked.

"What?"

"You were about to walk straight into that wall!"

"What?!"

She took in their surroundings as she realized that they were standing in front of a store. And her hand felt oddly…warm. She looked down and saw that Ikuto was holding her hand and immediately pulled it away.

"I told you not to drag me anymore!"

"Gee, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were practicing walking with your eyes closed. Next time I'll let you smack your face into the wall!"

"G-good!" She yelled, unable to come up with a comeback.

He shook his head at her. "Whatever. Anyway, we're here. Let's go."

"Huh?"

They were standing in front of a clothing boutique. _What the hell?_

"Umm…you're taking me shopping?"

"Not exactly," he said smirking.

_Uh oh. _She didn't like the way he was smirking like that. But still…_What could be bad about a clothing shop?_ She followed him into the store.

It was much bigger than it looked from the outside. There were racks of clothes in every direction stuffed with items for women and teenagers alike. A mixture of Pop and R&B music was coming from the speakers with the song changing depending on what section you were in. It wasn't overly crowded, but there were a good number of people shopping around.

"This way," Ikuto said.

They followed the tile path around toward the back of the store. Amu was definitely confused. _What am I doing here?_

"Here we are."

She stopped next to him and realized that she was surrounded by hundreds of bathing suits.

"The bathing-suit section?"

"Yes."

Amu suddenly started to sweat. _Oh god._

"You're making me try on bathing-suits?"

"Yep. You're not just trying them on. You're going to show them to _me_."

"What?!" She turned to face him. "No way! You just want to see me half-naked!" She slapped his arm.

"No. We're building your confidence. We're just doing it in a way that is also fun for me." The smirk returned to his face.

"This is ridiculous! I'm not going to do this!"

"Would you rather do lingerie?"

"Oh please, like that's any different."

"Trust me, Amu. There's a _big_ difference between a bathing suit and lingerie."

"Well it doesn't matter because I'm not doing either. I don't need the whole store laughing at me just so you can have some fun."

She crossed her arms over her chest. _I can't believe he thought I would do this. What a pervert._

"Why would anyone laugh at you? It's not like there aren't other people here trying on clothes."

"Because…"

Ikuto eyed her curiously. "Please don't say you think you're fat."

"No! I just…" She looked at the ground.

There was no way she was going to tell Ikuto that she was self-conscious about her…chest area. Not only would he not understand, he would certainly laugh at her and probably even agree with her that they were just too small. Sure, she was a lot bigger than she was in middle school, but they still weren't anything to brag about.

"Don't you want to be able to talk to Tadase?"

"Well yeah, but…"

"Amu, look at me."

She felt his hands cup her cheeks, forcing her to look up at him. Yet again she found herself staring into those blue eyes, their faces uncomfortably close together. The heat from his hands was quickly transferring to her cheeks. He stared at her for what seemed like forever before he finally spoke.

"You're an attractive girl," he started.

"I-I am?"

"Yes. And you have nice legs," he continued.

"I-I do?"

"Yes. And, aside from your short fuse and stubbornness, you have somewhat of a good personality," he teased.

"Shut up," she laughed as she gave him a playful slap on the chest.

He let go of her face with one hand and lifted her chin up with the other. She felt her face get hot again.

"The problem is Tadase won't ever be able to see these things if you can't even walk up and talk to him. So I'm trying to help you. But if you don't trust me, we might as well stop now and give up."

He stopped speaking and continued to stare at Amu. But this stare wasn't sad or…well she hadn't really classified the other one yet but it didn't make her face burn up. He actually looked sincere. _Maybe he really is trying to help me…_

"So do you trust me?" He finally asked.

Despite everything he'd said and done to piss her off in the past four days, looking into his eyes now made her realize something.

"Yes."

_I do trust you._

"Good," he smiled, letting go of her face, "Now go try on some bathing suits."

_Damnit._

_

* * *

_

"Come on, Amu. It does not take _this_ long to try one on."

Ikuto was sitting on one of the nice beige couches just outside the fitting rooms. He'd been waiting almost ten minutes for her to try on the first one. Not to mention she'd spent almost a half hour picking through the racks to find some she actually wanted to try on.

At least two other girls had come out with two different outfits on in the time he'd been sitting there.

_This is ridiculous._

He'd even told her she could start with one-pieces to make it easier for her and she was still acting self-conscious.

"Do you need me to come in there and help you?" He said smirking.

"No! I'm coming out!"

Two seconds later, she stormed out in the most conservative black suit he'd ever seen on a teenager. The cut went straight across her neck in the front and barely revealed anything in the back. There was even a little skirt attached to cover the tops of her thighs.

"See? Happy? Good." She tried to get back into the dressing room before he could say a word.

"Wait, Amu."

But she didn't stop. She just walked right back into the dressing room like she hadn't even heard him.

Grr…

He was going to have to use his secret weapon earlier than expected. He pulled out his cell phone and sent a quick text message.

_You're up, Utau._

A minute or two went by before he saw his older sister's blond hair out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm coming out again!" He heard Amu yell.

"Okay!" he replied, still staring at his sister.

Utau pretended to look at a few of the bathing suits on a nearby rack before glancing over her shoulder to look at him. Amu finally walked out wearing another atrocious one-piece covered in more rhinestones than he ever wanted to see on a bathing suit.

"Is she the one?" Utau mouthed silently.

He nodded and saw her straighten her employee uniform before making her move.

* * *

Amu stomped out of the fitting room in her second bathing suit, anxious to get this over with as quickly as possible. This one wasn't so bad. She thought the rhinestones made it at least somewhat pretty. And best of all, it was cut high enough that you couldn't really tell she didn't have much of a chest.

She opened her mouth to say something to Ikuto when she was cut off by a nearby employee.

"Oh my god. Honey," she started. The woman rested a hand underneath her chin and gave Amu a once-over.

"Why are you hiding this nice little body of yours in that thing?"

"Uhh..excuse me?"

The woman smiled and walked over to Amu, circling around her.

"This suit was made for someone much older than you. You've got the perfect figure for a cute little bikini!"

"A b-bikini?"

_Hmph. Easy for her to say. She's at least a C cup while I'm over here sporting two B's. _

"Yes! And I'm sure your boyfriend over here will really appreciate it too, am I right?" she asked looking at Ikuto.

Ikuto smiled back at her, "Definitely."

Amu practically died on the spot.

"No wait. He's not my—" She was cut off by a hand jerking her arm.

"Come on, honey. Let's go pick out something for you."

* * *

Ikuto had to hold back his laughter as he watched Utau do a number on Amu. She really knew how to play the part. He'd spoken with her last night and she agreed right away once she found out it had to do with a girl.

His sister had always teased him about never having a serious relationship with someone so he let her believe whatever she wanted about Amu in order to get her to help.

"Alright now go try on one of those," Utau said as she pushed Amu back into a dressing room.

She tossed a few bathing suits over the door before walking back in his direction.

"She's cute," she said sitting next to him.

"Yeah…" he replied. They'd always been close, especially within the last few years. He always spoke his mind around her.

"So are you going to do anything about it?"

"It's a little complicated."

"How?"

"Just trust me. It is."

"Fine. But I'm kicking you out of the apartment if you let this one go," she said as she got up and walked back toward the fitting room.

"Come on now, don't be shy. Let's see that beautiful girl in there!"

Ikuto just laughed again as he looked down at his feet. She was just too much sometimes.

"No, don't cross your arms like that. There's nothing to hide. Come on, put them down. There you go."

He looked up at them and nearly fell off the couch. Amu was wearing a deep red bikini. Nothing extravagant, no rhinestones, no other colors. Just a plain, simple, red bikini. And she looked hot.

_Holy shit._

"So what do you think, boyfriend?" Utau pulled Amu toward him.

He could see Amu's face turn red and had to fight a blush rising to his own cheeks. Her stomach was toned with just a hint of muscle forming near her belly button and her chest was big enough that he could see cleavage from several feet away. His throat started to dry up just looking at her.

"See, I knew you wouldn't like it!" Amu started to cover herself with her arms.

Ikuto shook the thoughts from his head, remembering why he was here in the first place. He got up and walked toward Amu, grabbing her hand and pulling it away from her chest. Utau got the hint and stepped away from them.

"I didn't say I didn't like it."

"Yeah but you didn't say you did. You didn't say anything!"

"Amu," he said, his voice a bit deeper, "I think the point is to make the guy speechless when he sees you, isn't it?"

"Umm..yeah I guess."

"So me not saying anything means what?"

"That y-you were sp-speechless…?"

"Right."

Her cheeks turned red almost instantly and her mouth opened slightly and she let out a surprised gasp.

_Shit._

He swallowed hard. Her lips had a strange pull over him when they parted like that and he had to do everything in his power not to close the distance between their faces. This was the third time in two days that she'd done this to him.

He took a deep breath and let go of her hand.

"Go try on another one."

"R-right," she stumbled back a few feet before turning around and hurrying back into the dressing room.

He looked over as Utau eyed him with a smile on her face.

"I thought you might like that one," she said.

* * *

Amu stumbled backwards when he let go of her hand. She hadn't even realized she'd been leaning toward him. She turned around quickly before he could see her entire face go red and she headed back into the dressing room.

_Did I really leave him speechless? Would a guy actually tell someone that? He was probably just saying that to make me feel better. _

She admired herself in the dressing room mirror for a minute. It _did_ look good on her. She even had some cleavage showing, which is what she wanted. And her legs did look pretty good.

_Maybe he was telling the truth…Not to mention you've spent the last month or so doing sit-up and crunches for your stomach. What was the point if you weren't planning on buying a bikini anyway?_

She switched to a yellow and pink bikini and looked at herself again in the mirror. _This one looks kind of good too._

"Come on out, honey!" She heard the store woman call to her.

She took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked out again.

"Oh this one's so cute!" The woman practically screamed as she pulled Amu toward Ikuto again.

She felt her face start to heat up as she convinced herself to look up at him. When she did, she let out a quiet gasp. _Is he…blushing?_ She stepped closer but didn't see it anymore. _I must be seeing things._

"So," she fought the urge to cover herself, "what do you think of this one?"

"_I _like it," he said, "but how do _you_ feel in it?"

"I…think it's nice, but I think I like the last one better."

He smiled at her. "You like the last bathing suit better or you liked my last reaction better?"

"Hmm…" she pretended to think, "both?"

He laughed and shook his head, and she couldn't help but smile back at him. She was starting to feel more relaxed around him. The store woman walked over to her.

"Well let's try on a few more before you decide, okay?"

"Uhh..sure."

She tried on three more, feeling more confident each time she came out. The last time she even struck a pose on her way back to the dressing room.

"You are such a nerd," Ikuto said, still smiling.

She stuck her tongue out at him before going to change back into her regular clothes. She walked out and handed the red bikini to the sales woman.

"I think I'm gonna get this one."

The woman smiled at her. "Good choice," she said glancing at Ikuto, who was looking at the ground.

She winked at Amu before ringing up the suit. Amu blushed. _I forgot she thinks we're dating._

"Well here you go," the woman said to her, "Thanks for shopping with us. Hope to see you again soon! And don't be afraid to show off that body of yours!"

"Thanks for everything," Amu smiled back at the woman.

She and Ikuto left the store and walked toward the mall exit. It was silent between them for a few minutes.

"Umm..thanks for today," Amu finally said.

"No problem. Glad I could help."

She stopped walking and looked at him. He stopped and turned around to face her.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you mean what you said today? You know...about me being…attractive…and stuff?"

Right after she asked the question she didn't want to know the answer. She should've just let it be. _Damnit, Amu._

He took a step toward her and looked down at her. A smile slowly slid across his face.

"Does it matter? The point is that you should ask yourself if someone is good enough for you, not the other way around."

"Oh," she said feeling a little disappointed.

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the movies then?" Ikuto asked.

"Oh right, yeah," she said, "Should we switch numbers or something so I can text you when we're coming in?"

"Amu, are you asking me for my number?" He said with a sly smirk.

"I should've known you'd say that. Yes, I'm asking for your number." She smirked back at him this time.

"I thought you'd never ask," he said as he flipped out his cell phone.

They switched numbers and went their separate ways once they reached the parking lot. Amu got into her car and placed her bag in the passenger seat. She put her keys in and went to turn the car on when she heard her phone go off. She flipped it open and smiled wider than she thought possible.

"_I meant every word."_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: OMG Ikuto! Can I have your babies please?! Gah I just want to make out with him all day long. But anyway…so this was definitely the longest chapter so far and might stay the longest of the whole story. Oh well, I loved it. Especially since I didn't even know what was going to happen until I actually typed it.**

**And yes, Utau is his **_**older**_** sister in this story. That's just the way it has to be for later chapters to be logical. And so she's a little OOC. Oh well. I still love her. If you don't, then oh well for you too cause she's staying that way.**

**And like I said before, you won't get another one until Monday night most likely. (I work til 7 so it will probably not go up til almost midnight since I'll still have to write it) The fun starts next chapter when all four of our lovebirds are forced to be in the same room together. What will happen? Oh man I'm excited!**


	12. Double Date?

**A/N: Okay so I know I'm a day later than expected. But I was absolutely exhausted after work yesterday and I didn't want to half-ass this chapter just so you guys would have something to read. So I waited until this morning to start writing it. Sorry if it upset anyone!**

**And because there was some confusion, I just want to point out that Utau is actually an employee at that clothing store. She didn't just pretend she was one. It sounds stupid, but I had trouble fitting that confirmation in the story the way I wanted to so I just hoped people would catch on. Sorry about that! I will go back and fix it.**

**Soooo many people reviewed this time! I can't even begin to describe how absolutely overwhelmed I was! 17!! That's amazing! For me it is at least, so I just wanted to thank everyone for that. And I think people who review deserve their own response/acknowledgement as a reward, even if it's small. So if you didn't review (Shame on you! =P) skip this part:**

**ArtGrrl: **I'm starting to wonder if you are psychic and know when I'm about to post a chapter because you're always the first review! Thanks again! And yes I did realize that I totally forgot to mention you last time! I feel terrible!! So extra love to you this time!

**Neji0392: **I'm sorry I ended up putting you through 4 ½ days of torture! But I'm glad you enjoy my story so much that you think it's torture to wait for the next chapter! Not that I enjoy torturing you…but you know what I mean ;]

**SunamiHV: **I'm still trying to figure out how you read that as me wanting to make out with babies, but it made me laugh regardless. And I've totally seen those Harry Potter Puppet Pals, my fav being the Mysterious Ticking Noise one. I laugh every time. And I actually like the yellow/pink bikini as well but I figured it would be less dramatic with the second suit regardless of what it looked like. Besides, red is my fav color.

**Phoenixtears: **Thanks so much for reading! I'm glad you love it!

**TAMW: **I DIED when you said "she-beast". I think I've read those reviews like 4 times and every time it gets me. And if Peach-Pit made a movie out of my story, that would be freaking AWESOME. I'd watch it everyday. But sadly, I know it won't happen.

**Kit2000: **Thanks! And yea I thought of having Ikuto start to get jealous and not want other guys staring at her and make her stop trying them on, but then I decided against it for some reason. I'm not even sure why.

**Love'n'Hate: **He hasn't fallen for her yet. Not completely anyway. He's just starting to realize he has feelings for her. I know what's gonna happen that makes him fall for her though. Tehehehe.

**xhappily-randomx: **I know! I almost didn't end it like that because it kind of seems not like Ikuto to say something like that, but I'm going to hopefully explain that in this chapter. Maybe not though because originally I wasn't planning on getting into Ikuto's head at all until next chapter so it may have to wait until then.

**MysticSpiritAngel: **Thanks! Hopefully these next two movie date chapters won't disappoint anyone!

**Kaggie101: **Like I said before, sorry about the confusion with Utau! She is supposed to be an actual employee and that's why Ikuto goes to that particular store. I just didn't explain it like I should have.

**Ren'ai: **I've been trying to do crunches/sit-ups all summer to tone my stomach and it's just not happening lol. And Tadase seems like a waste of time, but unfortunately our heroine has been in love with him for some time so I have to bring him in a little bit before she can fall for Ikuto (which I can't wait for!)

**Born2beAngel: **Thanks so much! And thanks for reviewing!

**Xyndicate: **Thanks! I try to update as much as I can! I love this story as much as you guys do! It's my baby :]

**HarukaHorror: **Aww I think Utau has her cute moments. She's just complex. But yes, you're supposed to love her in this story. And she totally gets better!

**Shokora 'N Strawberries: **Thanks! The last chapter might be one of my favorite chapters so far too!

**MoonlightXLuna: **Thanks for always reviewing! :]

**Yuki461k: **The Nagi/Rima ending I have planned is going to make everyone love those two! Lol that's actually probably not true, but it's going to be so cute! I'm so excited! And I'm glad you like that couple too!

**Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! And keep in mind that this scene is going to be split into 2 chapters, which will be obvious once you get to the end of this one, but I'm just letting you know anyway. This one will be fun, but the next one will be where it gets good =].**

**(Holy cow, this was a 2-page Author Note! Sorry!)**

**

* * *

**

Rima looked at her watch as she tapped her foot impatiently against her doorstep.

_Where is she?_

Amu was already running twenty minutes late to pick her up. Their movie was supposed to start in forty minutes and they hadn't even left yet. They still had to get there, get tickets, and get seated. And it was opening weekend.

_I swear she better have a good excuse._

She finally heard the sound of an engine and looked up to see Amu's blue car pull around the corner and stop in front of her house.

"It's about time!" she yelled, running down her steps toward the car.

"Sorry!" she heard Amu yell through the closed window.

Rima opened the passenger door and got in.

"What the hell took you so—Woah." Rima stopped upon seeing Amu.

"What?"

"Are you wearing makeup?"

"Rima, I always wear makeup," Amu replied as she started the car.

"Right. Some cover-up here and there to hide your pimples, but I've never seen you with all that stuff around your eyes."

"I-It's just something I bought with my mom yesterday. I thought I'd try it out."

Rima's eyes narrowed. She thought she saw the faintest hint of red spread across Amu's cheeks as she said that. _Suspicious…_ She had gray eyeshadow on her eyelids with some black to line her eye. It wasn't an overwhelming amount, but it was definitely a noticeable difference.

"So I'm guessing it must look bad then?" Amu asked.

"No. It looks good. Just different." Rima eyed Amu again. "Did you overhear Tadase say he wanted to see this movie today or something?"

"N-no!"

"You better be telling the truth. I don't want my movie to be ruined because of that boy."

"I promise you, it won't. I'll still be screaming bloody murder next to you since I know it amuses you so much."

"Good."

She had to admit, she did love to see Amu get scared. That's why she always forced Amu to go to these kinds of things with her.

"Did you bring a spare pair of underwear this time?" Rima asked grinning.

"Please, Rima. That was one time and it was like three years ago."

Rima couldn't help but laugh at the image of Amu walking out of the theater with a large wet mark by the zipper of her jeans that trailed down past her thigh. It was one of the funniest things she had ever seen. Amu didn't talk to her for almost a week after that incident. But it wasn't her fault Amu got so scared she peed herself.

They pulled up to the movie theater fifteen minutes before showtime. Amu parked and the two of them got out and ran toward the ticket booth. Thankfully it wasn't sold out yet so they bought their tickets and headed inside.

* * *

Ikuto felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He flipped it open and read Amu's text message.

"_We just got here."_

"Is that them?" Nagihiko asked.

"Yea, let's go."

_It's about damn time, Amu._

The two of them walked to the back of the line that had formed in front of the movie doors. They'd been waiting there for almost twenty minutes now for Amu's text. _Leave it to girls to be late…_

They had to time it so that no one else got in line behind them before the girls walked in. Otherwise, it would be totally pointless and Rima wouldn't even see them and there wouldn't really be a nonchalant way of suggesting they all sit together. He looked over at Nagihiko who was starting to fiddle with his hands.

"Relax man."

"I'm trying. I'm just nervous right now."

"It's gonna be fine. I'll be sitting right next to you the whole time. You don't have to feel pressured to make a move or anything. This is just about getting you two to spend some time together."

"Yeah I guess. But what if she flat-out refuses to sit with us?"

"That's not gonna happen. Amu's got that covered."

"If you say so."

* * *

Amu tried her best to compose herself as they entered the movie theater. She had to do her best to make this look legitimate. She'd never forgive herself if she ruined this night for Nagihiko.

There was a huge line of people outside of their particular theater and Amu scanned the crowd before her eyes finally landed on that blue head of hair she knew all too well. She felt her stomach churn at the sight of it.

_What the hell…am I…nervous?_

She didn't really have time to think about it because they had to get in line before anyone else did.

"Come on, Rima. We have to get in line."

She grabbed her friend's hand and weaved through a few people until they finally reached the back of the line. Ikuto and Nagihiko were facing the front just like they were supposed to. This was her cue.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said loud enough for them to hear.

"What?" Rima asked.

She watched as Ikuto turned around to face her. It took all of her power to stop herself from blushing at the sight of him. She thought she saw his eyes widen a little bit upon seeing her but they returned to normal so quickly it might have been a mistake.

"It's _him,_" she answered Rima.

"Well if it isn't Hinamori Amu," Ikuto said looking at her. The smirk was already starting to form. "Nagi, check this out."

Nagihiko turned around to face them as well and Amu smiled at the sight of the red tint on his cheeks. _He's so adorable._ She looked over at Rima. Her cheeks were the same way.

"H-hey there, Rima." Nagihiko managed to say.

Rima stayed quiet for a few seconds before finally managing a, "Hello Nagihiko."

"You know this guy, Rima?" Amu asked, feigning surprise.

"Yeah, he's my cooking partner…"

"Well isn't this funny. We all know each other," Ikuto said.

"And you are?" Rima asked him.

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto."

"You mean _the_ Ikuto?" Rima asked incredulously.

Ikuto eyed her curiously and flashed a glance at Amu before returning to Rima. "Yes?"

Amu watched Rima's eyes light up and she noticed that evil grin starting to form. _Oh no._

"Sorry for asking like that. I was expecting someone more…_average_ looking from Amu's description."

_Oh my god._ Amu's jaw practically dropped at that statement. _She did not just say that._

"Oh really?" Ikuto looked at her and Amu felt her face heat up.

"Yes, but don't worry, you've exceeded my expectations," Rima responded.

_That's it._

"That's strange because Naghiko is just as cute as you said he was Rima," Amu said smiling at Nagihiko whose face went ten shades redder.

She looked over at Rima who was staring up at her in shock. Her mouth was wide open but no words were coming out. _Wow._ She'd never seen a speechless Rima before. _Oh well. That's what she gets. If she's going to embarrass me, I'll do it right back._

The awkward silence broke once the doors opened and the line started piling into the theater.

_Oh shit._ This wasn't exactly the atmosphere she had planned in order for Ikuto to ask for them to all sit together. Rima would surely say no now. _It's her fault! She started it._ After scolding herself, she realized she had to at least try. So as they shuffled forward, she pinched Ikuto on the side.

"Ow!" He glared back at her.

"Ask us," she mouthed to him. He continued to glare at her before composing himself and turning around again.

"Well since we all know each other now and we're all going to see the same movie—"

"Let's all sit together."

Amu stopped in her tracks and stared at Rima, who once again was looking at Amu with that evil grin on her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Ikuto and Nagihiko looked just as shocked as she did.

* * *

Rima just kept grinning. _If she's gonna play hardball, I will too._ This was perfect. Now she could get those two to sit next to each other. And now that she'd finally met Ikuto, it was very obvious to her that Amu was in denial. _Average my ass._

"Uh, yeah," Ikuto said a little taken aback.

She tried to ignore the feeling in her stomach that hadn't totally gone away since Nagihiko had appeared a few minutes ago. So what if she was starting to become friends with him. She couldn't waste this opportunity to help Amu get over Tadase, which was number one on her priority list for this year.

They continued walking toward the doors.

Besides, as long as she didn't look directly into his eyes, she wouldn't even chance blushing around Nagihiko. Amu would never let her hear the end of it if she did. Now she just had to figure out how to get the seating arrangements to work out. Either Nagihiko had to walk in first or she did. And since the boys were already in front it would make more sense for it to be Nagihiko.

"Psst. Nagihiko," she whispered.

He turned his head slightly to look at her.

"I need you to walk in before Ikuto."

"What?"

"Just do it."

"Why?"

He looked at her with a confused expression. She sighed. _He's going to make me say it isn't he?_

"Please," she said earnestly.

His expression softened and his cheeks started to glow red before he turned around.

"Okay."

Rima was glad he turned around because she could already feel her temperature rising. _Damnit._ She looked over at Amu who was staring at Ikuto's back, deep in thought. _Good, she didn't see._

"Thanks," she said, her blush increasing.

_Yep. _Definitely no way she was going to be able to sit near Nagihiko.

It wasn't until they entered the theater that Rima realized how packed it was.

"Damn," Ikuto said.

"Yeah," Amu said, "I don't know if we're even going to be able to find four seats together."

"Well maybe if you'd gotten here earlier, there would be," Ikuto glared back at her.

"Don't even blame this on me," she replied staring back at him.

Rima was confused as she watched them argue. _What are they talking about? _She saw Nagihiko just shake his head at them. She ignored it for the time being. Seats were filling up as they just stood there. She needed to think quick.

"We're probably going to have to just sit two and two," Nagihiko said to her as he continued to watch Amu and Ikuto argue.

She scanned the theater and realized he was right. _Shit._ _What am I going to do?_ She looked at Amu and Ikuto and then back at Nagihiko. She realized what she needed to do. She'd have to sacrifice some of her pride for Amu's sake.

_Here goes nothing._

She stepped toward Nagihiko and grabbed hold of his arm.

"Come on, let's leave these two alone."

With that she pulled Nagihiko up the steps toward two vacant seats.

_This better be worth it._

_

* * *

_

"I don't understand how this isn't your fault."

"Well I'm sorry that there was traffic! And the lady behind the ticket booth was really slow!"

"Whatever, Amu."

Ikuto just shook his head. _She is so ridiculous._ He looked up and realized that Nagi and Rima were nowhere in sight.

"Where'd they go?"

"What?" Amu turned around. "Oh my god, they're gone!"

"Well that's probably for the best anyway since we shouldn't have been arguing like that in front of Rima."

"You started it!"

But Ikuto was ignoring her. He had just found Nagi and Rima. He couldn't help but smile. _Well this is unexpected._ He wondered what Nagi could've possibly said to Rima to get her to sit with him.

_Good luck man._

"What are you smiling about? Let's go find them."

"No need, Amu."

"What do you mean no need? How're we supposed to get them to sit together if they're not here?!"

"Well apparently Nagi didn't need our help."

"What?"

He pointed toward them and watched as she realized what happened. Her jaw dropped and she just looked back at him. He quickly reached his hand out and closed her mouth. He wasn't taking any more chances with her.

"Would you stop doing that to me?" she asked.

"It's you that needs to stop doing that to me."

"Doing what?"

"Nothing. Let's go find a seat."

"Wait—"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward two seats closer to the screen.

* * *

Nagihiko could feel himself start to sweat. Here he was, alone in a movie, a _scary_ movie, with the girl he had feelings for. He didn't know if he should be happy that she wanted to sit with him or terrified because now he didn't know what to do.

_Calm down, Nagi. It's just a movie. You don't even have to talk during it. You can do this._

He looked to his left and watched Rima follow Amu and Ikuto with her eyes. Had she really told Amu that she thought he was cute?

"I'm sorry, Nagihiko."

He blinked. _Huh?_

"F-For what?" _Oh my god, please stop stuttering._

"I know you wanted to see the movie with Ikuto."

"Uh, it's okay. I've seen tons of movies with him."

"Really?"

"Well yeah, I mean he's my best friend."

"No. I mean you're really okay with sitting next to me instead?"

"Yeah. As long as you're not near whip cream and a whisk, I figure I'm safe."

…_Please tell me I did not just say that._

Rima's eyes widened and she turned to look at him. He closed his eyes and gave himself a mental slap in the face.

_You just insulted her. You know she's a serious girl. Why would you even make fun of her like that?_

But then he heard something completely unexpected. _Laughter?_ He opened his eyes and looked at her again. Rima was laughing. It was just a few giggles but it was enough to make his face burn.

"Yeah I guess that's true," she said, a smile on her face now.

_She actually thought that was funny?_ He couldn't even describe the relief he felt at seeing her respond like that. Not to mention she looked even cuter when she laughed.

"Well anyway," she started, "I didn't mean to separate you guys, but I'm trying to help Amu."

"What do you mean?"

"I think she likes Ikuto, but she's in complete denial."

"Trust me, he's not much better," Nagihiko laughed to himself as he remembered their conversation in the pizza line yesterday.

"Really? You mean you agree with me?"

"Uh yeah I guess."

"So you'll help me then? You're the only person I know with a connection to Ikuto."

She was staring at him, her eyes pleading for his help. He felt his cheeks burn again.

"S-sure."

"Thanks," she smiled at him before looking back at the screen.

The lights dimmed as the screen lit up and the previews started. Nagihiko couldn't really focus though as he thought about everything that had happened in the last five minutes. At least now he'd have something to talk about with her in class. He laughed as he thought about the irony of setting up the two people who were trying to help set him up with Rima.

"Hey Nagihiko…"

He looked over to see Rima looking at him. It was harder to see her now that it was so dark.

"Thank you," she said for the second time.

He raised his eyebrow at her. "No problem, Rima. I think it will be fun to help Ikuto out a little for once."

"No. I mean…thanks for catching me…I'm sorry I called you a pervert."

He was suddenly very grateful that it was so dark because his face felt like it was on fire.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Movie part 1 is finally done! Though it's not as good as I wanted it to be. I totally wanted to do more with Rima laughing but I drew a complete blank after I wrote it. It was so weird. And don't worry, we will get back to Rima's thoughts next chapter. But not until after we visit Amu and Ikuto for a good while.**

**So I'm not sure when the next chappie will go up. Thursday morning at the latest I imagine. Hopefully earlier but I'm going out with my mom and my roommate for most of the day tomorrow so I'm not sure.**

**Thanks for all the birthday wishes from people!**

**And all you Amuto fans will enjoy the next chapter! ;]  
**


	13. Scary Realizations

**A/N: ****First off, I just want to say OMG we hit 100 reviews! I remember thinking that was my ultimate goal by the time I finished this story and we hit it halfway through! I can't even explain how happy I am! So once again, if you didn't review, just skip this next part.**

**HarukaHorror: **Uh oh. Don't start grinning evilly like Rima now…=P. And yep, good ol' Nagi is the only point in that square who knows what's going on from both sides.

**ArtGrrl: **Thanks! I like your new profile pic there by the way!

**Love'n'Hate: **I never know where to start with yours because your reviews are always so jam-packed with awesomeness. I'm not sure if I should be happy or apologize that you think of my story as a drug. I don't know what you're going to do when this story is over if you're already addicted to it! And yea, I can't decide if I want the Amuto team to win first or the Rimahiko team. And don't worry about being late on the birthday wish. Better late than never right? I LOLed at the nickname Flava'. So much so that I think we should just go with that one since it makes me laugh so much.

**Moonlight X Luna: **Thanks! =]

**SunamiHV: **I know. Scary movie + dark = Amuto + Rimahiko awesomeness!

**Blue-Cat-94: **Thanks! Haven't seen your name in awhile! I hope you keep lovin' it and I don't disappoint!

**Clowny4evur:** Oh I will most definitely keep going! And the Rimahiko will only get better from here =].

**TAMW:** So it took me like an entire 24 hour period before it randomly clicked in my head what you meant about them both being in Egypt together. I thought you were still talking about the she-beast thing and I was like what the hell?? Why is the she-beast in Egypt and who is she with? I felt like such an idiot once I realized you were talking about the denial thing (assuming that's actually right. Otherwise I'll still feel like an idiot LOL).

**Carlaivy: **Thanks for reading my story and reviewing! I'm glad there's so many other Rimahiko fans out there!

**Neji0392:** A.k.a. Ally-chan. I think its cool that you sign your reviews like that by the way. Anywho, I can't wait to see what Amu and Ikuto are going to do either since I don't really know myself until I start writing it. I just know it's going to be cute =].

**Xhappily-randomx: **I know! Well, with the plan I have now for the story, they won't be spending a lot of extra time together, but they'll be talking a lot more in class at least! And our little Rima will learn to stop denying her feelings. Yay!

**Yuki461k: **Don't worry, it made complete sense. I'm glad you like seeing your name up here and I hope it continues to stay up here ;]. Thanks for reading! And I try to do at least 2 if not 3 updates a week.

**Kit2000: **Thanks for the belated birthday wishes!! And I think you'll like how the all end up in the end! I think Rima and Nagi's will turn out cuter than Amu and Ikuto's just because Rima is fighting it so much, but we'll see which one people like better!

**Shokora'Nstrawberries: **Thanks so much! I'm glad you love the plot and I hope it stays that way!

**Mystic Spirit Angel: **Thanks! I'm not sure I would call myself a genius, but I'll take it =]. Hahaha.

**HarunaNiwa: **Gosh I almost forgot to add you here because I was mostly done this chapter when you reviewed, but I made it! Woo! Anyway, thanks for much for reading and reviewing!

**And without further ado, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! And just fair warning, it's probably going to be rather long (just knowing me and how I like to add in more details than necessary). But who cares because it just means more Amuto/Rimahiko goodness for the masses!!**

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"Wait, why do we have to sit so close?!"

"Because these seats are the best."

"Well shouldn't we try and find some near Rima and Nagihiko, you know, to make sure everything goes okay?"

"No. We should give them space. Are you really that upset that you have to sit next to me?"

"No, it's just—"

"Good then sit down."

Amu groaned as she sat down next to Ikuto in the theater. They were much too close to the screen for her comfort. Normally she probably wouldn't mind, but this was a scary movie. Meaning things popping out all over the place to scare the crap out of her. And the closer she was to the screen, the scarier it was going to be.

_Please don't pee yourself this time._

This was so not going as they planned. She was supposed to be sitting next to just Rima so she could close her eyes the whole time and not have to watch the movie at all. But now that she was next to Ikuto, he would most definitely make fun of her.

_Well Rima would make fun of you too but somehow this seems worse._

"So you told Rima I was _average_ looking?"

She immediately felt her face heat up. _Oh god._ She had forgotten about that. _Damnit Rima._

"Well..uh..you know…I didn't like you then."

"Oh so you like me now?" He smirked at her and her blush deepened.

"N-not like that! You know what I mean!"

"Right…So you're saying I'm better looking now that we're friends?" His eyebrow raised but the smirk never faded.

"Well…I mean…"

Her hands started to sweat as she looked at him. She didn't know what to say. So his smirk was a lot less annoying and yeah his eyes made her blush sometimes, but that didn't necessarily mean she thought he was good-looking now.

And maybe she'd read that text message more often than was necessary in the last twenty-four hours. And yeah she'd tried that bathing suit on a couple more times since then. And so what if she'd worked a little harder on her look tonight? That didn't have anything to do with him. _Right?_

"Damn, Amu," Ikuto said, his smirk fading, "I spent half the day yesterday telling you how good you looked and you can't even tell me I'm better than average?"

He turned back to face the screen. Now she felt bad. He was right. He had said that to her. And he was helping her with Tadase so he obviously didn't like her. So it didn't mean she liked him if she said it back to him.

_And he said we were friends, right? Friends can say those kinds of things to each other._

She was way over-thinking this. She thought of all the nice things he'd said to her and of the numerous times she'd seen his face up-close. She fought a blush as she took a deep breath. _Just say what you really think. It doesn't have to mean anything._

"Ikuto," she said, turning to face him again, "Look at me."

Those blue eyes turned to stare at her and she swallowed a bit harder than she intended.

"You're a good-looking guy. An-And you have nice arms. And despite how much that smirk of yours bothers me most times, it actually makes you look kind of…well…hot."

_What am I forgetting?…Oh right, personality._

"And even though you piss me off a lot, you're actually really fun to be around most of the time."

_Wow, was that even a compliment? Nice Amu…_

"So yeah…that's umm…all I wanted to say," she said smiling up at him.

Just then, the lights dimmed and went out, and the screen lit up as the previews started. Satisfied, she returned her attention to the screen. _See that wasn't so bad. _It actually felt pretty good to be honest with him and she hadn't felt the need to blush the whole time she talked.

_I can do this. I can be friends with him._

_

* * *

_

Ikuto couldn't even begin to explain how grateful he was that the lights went out when they did. He had not been ready for that. And the red tint on his cheeks proved it.

_Did she just say I looked hot?_

Not that that was anything new to him. Tons of girls had told him he was hot before. But for some reason, when Amu said it just then, he'd gotten this strange feeling in his stomach.

He tried to tell himself that she was just being nice, but he couldn't help feeling a little…hopeful.

_Hopeful for what? She likes Tadase._

Not to mention he was supposed to be helping her get the guy. And right now she was only here with him because she was trying to help Rima out. It wasn't like they were on a date. They were just friends.

So she looked good in a bikini. He knew lots of girls who could pull one off. And Amu was just another one of those girls, except he was friends with her. That was all.

_Yeah. You're just not used to having chick friends is all. _

The movie was starting so he resigned himself to that train of thought for now and focused on the screen. The first fifteen minutes or so were pretty tame. Just a bunch of scenes of the family going around to different orphanages. But once they found the girl they wanted, it started to get a little creepy.

During one particularly creepy scene, Ikuto noticed Amu moving a lot out of the corner of his eye. He glanced in her direction and realized she was gradually sliding down in her chair, her knuckles getting whiter by the second as she gripped the seat. Her eyes were wide and eventually she just slammed them shut so she wouldn't have to watch.

He found himself suppressing a laugh, but couldn't stop his lips from parting in a smile as he watched her. _She's just too cute._

_Wait…I mean she's cute in a friend way._

He closed his eyes for a second, trying to focus on anything but how cute Amu was being. _Tadase. You're trying to help her with Tadase._ _Friends. _Just _friends._ He opened his eyes and looked at her again. An idea struck him as he leaned in close to her ear. _Time for confidence boost number two._

"Amu—"

"Ah!" She jumped and flailed her arms around, landing a pretty good smack on his face.

"Ow!" He said, rubbing his cheek. She turned to look at him.

"Don't scare me like that, jerk!"

"Sorry. I didn't think you'd be so jumpy since you weren't even watching the movie."

"Yes I was!"

"Unless you can see through your eyelids, I'm pretty sure you weren't."

"It was just for that one part!"

"Right…anyway, I was just going to say, you should make yourself watch the movie. Especially the scary parts."

"Why? So I can have nightmares later?"

"No. Think of it as another sort of confidence boost."

"What does this have anything to do with confidence?"

"Well, nothing really, but you'd be doing something you normally wouldn't, overcoming a fear, that sort of thing."

"I guess…"

"Think about it. If you can get through this movie and realize that maybe it's not as scary as you thought, then you'll also realize that the idea of talking to Tadase isn't that scary either."

"…Fine. I'll try."

"Good."

He felt his cheek start to throb and lifted his hand to rub it again.

"Damn that really hurt."

"Oh please. Don't be such a baby. Let me see it."

She turned to him and grabbed his wrist, moving his hand away from his face. Then she leaned forward, reached her hand up, and grazed over the area with her fingers. They were cold at first but became surprisingly warm within a few seconds.

He had to fight the urge to blush as she continued to inspect the area, her eyes focused on the spot as he watched her in silence.

"Hmm…it is a little red," she said, looking up at him.

He hadn't realized how close they were until her eyes locked on his. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it once he saw the redness start to form on her cheeks as well. Then he felt the sudden urge to feel how warm she was so he raised his palm to her cheek too.

"Yours is too," he whispered.

He heard her take in a breath and couldn't stop his eyes from wandering down to her now parted lips. _Why is she always doing this to me?_ He looked back into her eyes again and was a little shocked at what he saw. There wasn't any fear in them this time. Just a mix of surprise and…need?

_Does she want me to kiss her?_

God he hoped so because he wasn't sure he could hold back much longer. For three whole days he hadn't been able to get that face out of his mind. Three times before he'd been this close to kissing her, but held himself back. He needed to know what she tasted like.

He slid his fingers up into her hair until his palm was behind her head. He leaned down toward her as he used his hand to bring her to him. As he did this, he felt her hand leave his face and press against his chest. At first, he thought she was pushing him away, but then felt her fingers grip his shirt and pull him closer.

He watched her eyes close first before closing his and leaning into her. Their lips brushed just slightly from the movement, but it was enough to send that tingling sensation throughout his body. He opened his mouth to finally kiss her when the women next to him screamed, causing Amu to jump backward out of his grasp.

Her face turned a bright red before she fell back into her seat and stared at the screen. It took all the willpower he had not to turn around and strangle that woman. So he settled back into his seat and shot an evil glare in her direction instead.

He had been so close. So close. His lips were still tingling from where hers had grazed over them. He was afraid to look at her now. Yes, he had almost kissed her before, but his body temperature had never risen so high so quickly. He looked down where his shirt was slightly wrinkled from her grip.

_But she had wanted it too right?_

The other times, he had to stop himself, but this time she had pulled him closer to her. That had to mean something, didn't it? But what was he supposed to do now? Pull her aside after the movie and tell her how he felt? But he knew for a fact that she liked Tadase. Even if she did have feelings for him too, he didn't want her to act on a whim.

He sighed. This was getting too complicated. Somehow he needed to make her realize Tadase wasn't right for her while at the same time trying to help her get him. Meaning for now, he'd have to pretend like nothing just happened, just like they had the last few times.

One thing was for sure, he definitely liked this girl. But he was almost wishing he was still in denial about it.

* * *

As she continued to stare at the screen, Amu's mind was working overtime.

_What just happened? Did we just kiss? I mean, our lips touched, but it was only for like a second so I guess that doesn't really count. Does it? And what does it mean anyway? Did he start it or did I start it? If he started it, then I can blame him, but if I started it…_

She remembered the feel of his shirt in her fingers as she had pulled him toward her.

_What did I even do that for?_ _I like Tadase! Tadase. Tadase. Tadase._

Even though she repeated his name over and over again, she couldn't stop her thoughts from wandering back to the kiss. _Almost kiss,_ she reminded herself. She'd never felt that hot in her life. In fact, the rise in temperature had made her forget they were even in a movie theater. It had made her forget that anyone else was even there.

Her entire being had wanted nothing more than to close the distance between their faces. She felt her lips tingle and reached up to touch them.

_And what was that?_

Sure she had heard about "the spark" but she never thought you could actually _feel_ it like that. And did that mean there were sparks between them?

_Do I like him?_

She went against her better judgement and glanced over at him. He was calmly watching the movie as if nothing had happened.

_I'm glad he's so calm while I'm over here trying to figure all this out!_

He was trying to help her with Tadase. And tonight was about Rima and Nagi, not anything else. And if she had been the one to start it, then maybe he just went along because he didn't know what else to do. She looked over at him.

_Well if he can pretend like nothing happened, then so can I!_

She focused on watching the movie. As soon as the next scary scene started, she tried her best not to shut her eyes.

_Think of Tadase. Tadase. Tadase. If you can do this, you'll finally be able to talk to him._

But it wasn't enough. When the music stopped and an eerie silence took over, she shut her eyes tight. After the scene sounded like it ended, she opened her eyes again and glanced over at Ikuto who was still staring at the screen.

_Good. He didn't notice._

But she still didn't want him to catch her in the future. She reached up and pretended to itch the side of her head, but kept her hand there to shield her eyes from Ikuto.

_Ha! There you go, Amu. Now he can't see that your eyes are closed and it just looks like you have a headache that's all._

The next scary scene started and she shut her eyes, trying to focus on anything pleasant to drown out as much of the noise as possible. But then, she felt a hand grasp her own and move it away from her face. _What the hell?_

"Amu…"

She looked up to see Ikuto staring at her with his signature smirk. She immediately blushed and looked back at the screen.

"I thought you were going to try and watch the movie."

"I did try. But it didn't work!"

"Well try harder. Don't you want to be able to speak to Tadase?"

She paused for a moment as she thought about the question. _I do don't I?_

"Y-yes," she blurted out.

"Then watch the movie."

"Fine, but you can let go of my hand at least."

"I don't think so. You're not pulling that one on me again."

With that, he pulled her arm closer and laid their hands on the armrest, his on top of hers. Amu gulped and tried to turn her attention back to the movie. When the next scary scene came, she made it all the way through without shutting her eyes, but she didn't know if that was because she was actually trying harder or if it was the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about the feeling of his hand on hers.

She figured it was probably the second one since she couldn't even remember what had actually happened during that scene, just that she didn't close her eyes during it. Then during the next scene, which was probably the scariest so far, instead of closing her eyes, she gripped his hand firmly and squeezed it tightly until the scene passed.

Once it did, she let out a deep breath and looked at their hands. _It really is easier to watch this way…_ She tried not to think about it, and didn't really have time to since the theater got eerily quiet again. She felt that chill go down her spine as the camera slowly went dark. Then something popped out suddenly and Amu jumped and squeezed even tighter than she had before.

The scene passed and she calmed down again. How come thinking of Tadase didn't calm her at all, but holding onto Ikuto's hand did? Then she felt Ikuto move his fingers so they were interlaced with hers and gave her hand a light squeeze in return. Her cheeks reddened as she stared at their hands again.

_It's weird, but it's like they fit together._

It was like her fingers were the perfect size to fit snugly inbetween his. She looked at him and saw a red tint on his cheek. She was sure of it this time. Her mind started reeling again.

All the events of the past three days played over in her head. She remembered the feeling she got when he almost kissed her the first time in the gym, and the second time when Nagihiko was there. And how she felt safe when he caught her during the Trust Fall. And how special she felt when he'd grabbed her face and told her she was attractive.

She added that to the feeling she had gotten when she read that text message. And the feeling in her stomach when she'd recognized him standing in the movie line. And the fact that she hadn't really thought about Tadase all that much lately. And the way Ikuto argued with her all the time, but she never really got mad at him.

She closed her eyes and shook her head lightly as she fought back a smile. She looked over at him again as she started to feel a warmth build up inside her. She squeezed his hand lightly.

_I have feelings for him. I have feelings for Ikuto._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: Okay so there's going to be another chapter of this since I didn't get to Rima at all this time. But I should hopefully not spend too much time on it. Isn't it exciting that people are starting to realize things?! I think so! And I'm sorry about another almost kiss! But I mean, it happens in the series like a billion times and that's why we're all so excited for the real thing to happen! So I'm just using the same technique is all!**

**And I haven't seen Orphan so I was purposely not giving any details on any of the movie scenes. It didn't really matter what was actually happening in there anyway. And I didn't have time to proofread this chapter before I had to leave but I wanted to at least post the chapter so I hope there's not too many mistakes in here!**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter and all the Amutoness! R&R and I'll see you next time! Which might not be until Sunday, but that's earlier than usual because my work gave me off this Sunday. Yay!!!**


	14. Proud vs Stubborn

**A/N: OMG WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?! **

**Let me tell you what happened to me…So that first weekend after my last chapter post, I got bit pretty badly by a cat at work on my right hand at work (I work at a vet). I'll spare you the medical details, but basically I couldn't really use my right hand for a while. And by the time I recovered totally, I was back at work for a few days, and then I was off to Vegas for my brother's 21****st**** for another week. And yes, I was planning on bringing my laptop so I could write. Another long story short here, basically my brother and I shared a carry-on bag (the one holding my laptop) and somehow neither of us managed to bring it. And we didn't discover this until we were already at the airport. I can't even begin to explain how frustrated I was.**

**And then, as if that wasn't enough, I came home that next weekend from Vegas and on the last day there I got super sick and had a fever and no voice and just UGH for like four days. At one point I thought I had gotten better, but then the next day I woke up worse. And then I worked that whole weekend.**

**And then college started and things got hectic as hell. **

**And today, here I am, finally sitting down to write for the first time in FOREVER. I'm so sorry you all had to wait. Apparently someone just did not want me to write these past four (or five?) months because they did everything in their power to keep me from it. **

**But I promise you, I'm determined to finish this story, so even though the updates will be less frequent than normal, I WILL finish this story. **

**And just a quick thanks to Love&Hate and yuki461k for emailing me to give me inspiration. It really meant a lot!**

**P.S. It might be beneficial to reread the story or the last few chapters to get back into it. It's not as long as it looks.**

**P.S.S. I haven't written anything since that last chapter so this first one might not be filled with the best writing, but hopefully it will improve as time goes on. Thanks again for reading guys!!!! And I'm so sorry again! (And I wanted to just get this chapter out there so I didn't give myself time to proofread so be wary of spelling and other mistakes)**

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Rima leaned back in her seat as she focused on the movie. After making a big deal and pulling Nagihiko up to sit with her, she felt like she had to explain herself to him. Otherwise he might think that she did it because she liked him or something. Which she certainly didn't.

And after he agreed that Amu and Ikuto probably did like each other, it only made sense for her to ask for his help right? Besides, she knew how thick-headed Amu could be. She probably needed all the help she could get.

But then she went and apologized for calling him a pervert.

_Where did that even come from?_

Not that she didn't mean it, but she couldn't believe she went as far as thanking him for catching her. So she had mentally forgiven him over the last few days, but she hadn't needed to admit it to him. Especially in such an embarrassing way.

_Ugh._

And now here she was watching a scary movie with no Amu next to her to amuse her. Not that she didn't enjoy the movie for what it was, but it just wasn't the same without someone screaming bloody murder in her ear.

_You're doing this for Amu and Ikuto._

Unfortunately, it was very dark, and those two had sat close to the front so she couldn't even see them anymore. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of her best friend sitting so close to the screen. Poor Ikuto didn't know what he was in for.

She hoped Nagihiko was right about Ikuto liking Amu. Her dream of no longer seeing her best friend dote on Tadase was slowly seeming more and more possible. She smiled just thinking about it. She'd have to come up with some clever ways to get those two to spend more time together outside of school.

Rima was pulled from her thoughts by a tiny squeal coming from her right. She looked over to see Nagihiko covering his eyes with his forearm. Her eyebrow raised slightly as she took in the scene. His fingers gripped the armrest between them as if he was holding on for dear life.

She had to stifle a laugh. Nagihiko was scared. Of a movie. And he was a boy. She hadn't ever stopped to consider that boys might be afraid of such things. So she didn't have much experience with boys, but still…weren't they supposed to be…manly?

She couldn't hold back the laughter this time as she continued to watch him hide his eyes. He shuffled in his seat and moved his arm down to look at her. His eyes widened at the sight of her. Her laughter subsided, but she couldn't stop smiling.

"Nagihiko…are you…scared?"

"Uhh…no. I was just…itching…my forehead."

"…."

"…."

She saw the red rise to his cheeks and he looked away. She had never seen a scary movie with anyone but Amu because of how amusing it was to see her squirm. But because Nagihiko was a boy, it was even funnier. Not to mention he was cute when he was embarrassed.

Rima blinked. _Wait…what?_

She hadn't meant cute. Well she had. But in like a little kid way. Not in an I-like-you way. _Definitely not._ So then why was her face heating up all the sudden?

Nagihiko was still looking in the other direction. _Thank God._ She didn't need him to see her blushing out of nowhere. At least his was justified. And for some reason she was still staring at him. But he looked kind of upset.

_Well I did just openly laugh at him in the middle of a movie theater…Way to go, Rima. He's not going to continue to be scared and amuse you if you make him feel like an idiot._

And that just wouldn't do. Now that she'd discovered how funny it was to see a guy get scared in a movie, she had to see more of his reactions. Besides this was her only chance because it wasn't like they'd ever be in this situation again. But what was she supposed to say to make him less embarrassed?

"Nagihiko," she whispered, "Sorry I laughed at you. I just didn't expect you to be afraid of scary movies…"

"I'm glad I could provide some entertainment…"

"Really?"

"No."

"….."

"….."

"Oh come on. It's not that big a deal."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one getting laughed at."

_Ugh. He's being stupid._

"Well why'd you even want to come to this movie in the first place if you don't like scary movies?"

"…Because…"

"….."

"….."

"So what are you going to do? Sit there and stare at the ground for the next hour?"

"Probably."

_Grr. Since when did he get so moody?_

"Fine."

Rima crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared back toward the screen. If he was going to act stupid then fine. She'd just have to enjoy the movie for what it was. But as another scary part came up, she couldn't fight the urge to look over at Nagihiko. Again she had to stop herself from laughing.

Nagihiko was staring intently at the screen and she could tell he was trying his best to keep his eyes open. But his knuckles were pale as he gripped the armrests to either side of him.

Her right hand flew to her mouth to hide her laughter, but he must've heard the movement because he flinched and looked over at her. His eyes narrowed and he sat back and crossed his arms.

_Damnit! He's definitely going to stop watching now. _

She rested her hand on the armrest between them and began tapping her fingers in annoyance. Then she felt a fleeting tingling sensation across the back of her hand.

_What the hell?_

She looked over and saw a small, black eight-legged bug scurrying up her forearm. Her eyes widened.

_Is that a sp-sp-sp-SPIDER?!_

_

* * *

  
_

Nagihiko folded his arms across his chest. _I can't believe this is happening to me. She's actually laughing at me._ He'd be better off just leaving right now instead of sitting here embarrassing himself even more in front of her. _Damn you, Ikuto! I knew this would happen._

He sighed. As if he didn't already have enough working against him when it came to Rima. She'd finally forgiven him for accidentally "groping" her last year. He couldn't remember a time he'd felt as happy as he had when she thanked him. And now, within the same half hour, she couldn't stop making fun of him. He just couldn't win.

_Do you really want to be with someone who laughs at you all the time anyway?_

He looked back over in her direction. She was staring at the screen, looking bored, her lips pursed in a pout as she drummed her fingers on the armrest between them. He felt the corners of his mouth turn upward in a smile. _Gah! Why is she so damn cute?!_

He returned his focus to the back of the seat in front of him. He didn't even understand why she was upset in the first place. Did it really bother her that much that he wasn't watching the movie? That she couldn't sit there and laugh at him?

Then he remembered something. _Wait…on the phone that day…didn't Amu say…_

"_Rima! You know I hate scary movies!"_

The realization hit him. _No wonder she looks so bored. She probably only likes scary movies so she can laugh at Amu! _And since she sat with him to get Amu alone with Ikuto, she didn't have anyone to laugh at. He gave himself a mental slap in the face.

_Obviously if she was trying to be mean, she wouldn't have apologized to you._ She was probably happy when she found out he was such a wuss when it came to scary movies. And anything he could do to make her happy probably couldn't hurt his chances. _Except that you look stupid. And you'll probably have nightmares for a week afterwards…_

He sighed. His purpose was clear. And hey, maybe if he made her laugh enough, she'd want to see more movies with him in the future. _Probably not…_ But it was worth a shot. And anything was better than sitting here with this awkward silence between them. He worked up the courage to look back at the screen when someone screamed next to him.

"Ahhhhhh!"

He immediately looked over to see Rima shaking her arm wildly. _What the hell?_

"Rima, are you okay?"

"Get off you stupid thing!"

He raised an eyebrow. People nearby were shushing and glaring at them so he whispered to her.

"Rima, calm down. What's wrong?"

"Spider! AH! It just went underneath my sleeve!"

She started violently smacking at her arm with her other hand. She gritted her teeth and continued hitting herself, her hand making its way up her arm to catch the creature. Apparently it got around to her back because she jolted up suddenly and laid a big smack on the back of her neck. She took a quick look at her palm and fell back into her seat.

"Ha!" She said, wiping her hand on the side of the armrest.

Nagihiko just stared at her in shock as he replayed what just happened in his head. And then he started laughing. His shoulders shook and he brought a hand to his mouth to muffle the sound, but he couldn't stop. She had looked so ridiculous. He could feel his stomach muscles tense up and the tears start to form at the corners of his eyes.

He wiped them away as he started to calm down, and when he opened his eyes again, he was met with a cold stare. Despite her expression, he couldn't stop smiling as he let out the last of his laughs. He could see the embarrassment staining her cheeks as she continued to glare at him.

All the sudden, she stood up, clenching her fists at her sides.

"Jerk!" was all she yelled before she stormed down the steps and out of the theater.

Nagihiko's smile faded as he watched her leave. _Seriously?_ He hadn't gotten _that_ mad when she laughed at him. She was acting a tad bit overdramatic. And hypocritical.

And yet he was the one left sitting there in the middle of a scary movie. Alone.

* * *

_Asshole!_

Rima made her way through the double doors of the theater and into the lobby. She headed toward the restroom.

_What a jerk! Laughing at me like that in front of all those people. It's not my fault there was a spider on my arm!_

It was all his fault anyway. If he hadn't acted so dumb about being scared then she wouldn't have gotten annoyed and tapped her fingers on the armrest where that spider was obviously waiting for her. She shivered as she remembered the feel of those little legs walking on the back of her neck.

_Spiders are so gross!_

She pushed open the restroom door, happy to see that she was alone. She didn't even have to go, but she needed somewhere to hide out until the movie ended and Amu could take her home.

_Things better be going well with those two…_

The last thing she needed to end this shitty night was to hear Amu say that Ikuto was being such a jerk the whole time and that she kicked him again or something. And she was seriously regretting thanking that bastard for catching her last year. She thought about him icing her hand and making her spaghetti and meatballs. And him helping her with the whip cream.

_He was just pretending to be nice then to hide his true character. The one who laughs at people when they're in _real _danger._ _Jerk._

At least she apologized when she laughed at him. And his was actually funny. She gritted her teeth. She'd been in real trouble then. That spider could've been poisonous or laid eggs in her skin! Or worse! Who knows what that thing's intentions were.

She looked at her cell phone to check the time. The movie still had an hour left. There was no way she could stay couped up in this bathroom for that long. Maybe she could find a seat by herself. Somewhere up front closer to Amu so she could see what was going on there.

She thought about Nagihiko sitting by himself in the theater, squeezing his eyes shut to avoid being scared. For a split second she felt kind of bad for leaving him to be afraid, but she immediately dismissed it. But she couldn't stop herself from giggling for a second at the picture of him acting all scared.

She almost wished he would just apologize so she could forgive him and things could go back to normal. _Wait…_Why would she forgive him? He'd acted stupid and moody and mean. And besides, if he really wanted to apologize or was actually worried about her, wouldn't he be here right now? Wouldn't he have followed her out of the theater?

She felt the anger well up inside of her again as she pushed open the restroom door and entered the lobby. But she stopped short and her eyes widened. There staring back at her was a boy with long, purple hair and bright yellow eyes. Eyes full of worry.

She felt her heart skip a beat.

* * *

**A/N: OMG It's finally done. It took me like three weeks of writing in my random little segments of spare time to finally finish this. And once again, this chapter was wayyyy longer than it was supposed to be and as a result, was cut off before the big convo between them! So now you have to wait til next time! **

**And sorry the writing isn't spectacular. It's definitely been awhile so I have to scrape some of the rust off my fingers here. **

**So yea, there is going to be one last chapter at the movies (obviously) and then we'll move on to the first school day back. Just keep in mind that once December starts, it's going to be crunch time for me with finals and everything so you might not see another chapter until winter break comes around. I'm sorry! I will try and do my best to get another one in before then but I can't make any promises!**

**And I don't expect 1000 reviews or anything huge since I'm not even sure whose still reading this story, but I appreciate everyone who does review and continues reading! Thanks so much guys!**


	15. Hurry Up and Save Me

**A/N: So school ended and then Christmas and New Year's happened and then work picked up so I was super busy but now I'm back! I have one of those new netbooks that are really portable and can connect to WiFi like everywhere so I'm hoping that I'll be able to spend more time on this story during this next semester like inbetween classes and stuff. I really do promise to finish it. I admit to spending most of my spare time reading like a hundred different short shoujo mangas (I've already decided which one to base my next story off of! But I'm not gonna think about that til I finish this one!) **

**Anyway, it's weird cause I never even read manga before shugo chara cause I'd much rather watch an anime, but now I'm hooked! Speaking of SC, ummm…that Encore sequel that they're planning on doing better have some much missed Rimahiko and Kutau going on. As well as an Amuto kiss. I NEED ONE!! Though I wonder what's going to happen with Tadase, poor guy. **

**Onto the reviews: **Thanks so much everyone! I tend to spend a lot of time in one sitting replying to people's reviews cause I like to think about them a lot, but I'm afraid if I do that now that I won't actually get to the next chapter so I'm going to skip that for this time. I'm sorry! I promise I will write one back to everyone for the next chapter because I planned to get started on it right away. But you're all very much loved and I really appreciate those of you who stuck with me!

**And now onto the next chappy! I'm going to do my best to sum up this movie scene and get on to the next part of the plot. Not that I'm going to rush through this Rimahiko moment (obviously not!) but I'm anxious to get to the next part!**

**Enjoy!**

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**

Nagihiko continued to tap his fingers against the armrest. He sighed.

_This sucks._

How did it become like this? And how was he supposed to fix it? Especially considering Rima was the one being unreasonable.

_It's not like she wasn't doing the same thing to me before… _

He should probably just let her blow off some steam by herself. He looked at his watch. There was still an hour left of the movie. She'd come back soon enough. She'd get way too bored sitting out in the lobby that long. He resigned himself to that decision and attempted to sit and watch the movie.

_See I can do this. It's not that scary._

Then all sound stopped and an eerie feeling crept over him. _Shit._

Something jumped out suddenly and Nagihiko flinched and covered his face with his arm. _Man I really am I wimp. I'll have to figure out something else to do to distract myself til Rima gets back._

He decided to see if he could make out Ikuto or Amu in the seats up front. His eyes scanned the rows. He spotted two people who looked like they were about to kiss and he blushed.

_Well one thing's for sure. That's definitely not them. I can't even believe people would do that in a scary movie like this. Geeze._

Just as he was about to look away, lightning flashed on the screen causing the theater to light up just for a second. But a second was all it took for Nagihiko to see that the girl about to be kissed had pink hair. In that same instant, someone screamed and the two broke apart.

_Oh my god._ There was no mistaking that hair.

"Rima! Did you see that?" he whispered loudly. "Rima?"

He looked to his left and stopped.

_Oh that's right…she's not here…_

He glanced at his watch again. It'd been ten minutes already. _What is she doing?_

Even if she was mad at him, he was hoping she'd forget as soon as he told her what he'd seen Amu and Ikuto doing. He got up and quietly made his way down the stairs towards the exit.

_What _were _they doing anyway?? Were they hiding their status as a couple this whole night or something? _

His eyes searched for Rima as he entered the lobby. A few movies must have just gotten out because the area was filled with people.

"Rima!" he called out.

He walked past a group of guys coming from the bathrooms.

"Did you see that cute little blond back there?"

Nagihiko stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened.

"Yeah, she looked a little upset. Maybe I'll go comfort her, eh?"

The guys laughed and Nagihiko felt his hands curl into fists.

"Go for it, Takao. Bring her back afterwards so the rest of us can have some fun too!"

The guys laughed again and he felt someone brush past his shoulder. What was he going to do? Sure he'd had some training, but there was no way he could take all those guys at the same time.

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

Even if he could fight them all, he'd surely get escorted out right away and would never be allowed back. This wasn't exactly the most discrete location.

_What are you doing Nagi! What's more important? Rima or not being able to see movies? _

It didn't take him long to decide as he jogged around the corner to catch up to the guy. As he entered the hallway, all he could see was the guy's back as he was leaning with his arm against the wall, talking to someone.

Nagihiko walked quickly toward them.

"Wanna come check out my ride, beautiful?"

_She better as hell say no._

He felt his fists clench again.

"Hey leave her al—Oh…"

The guy turned his head to look at Nagihiko who realized that the person he was talking to was a tall brunette. He coughed into his hand to hide his surprise.

"Uhh..sorry. Just uhh…trying to get to the bathroom."

The guy shot him a nasty look before wrapping his arm around the girl and leading her back toward the lobby.

_Guess he got distracted…_

Nagihiko let out a huge sigh of relief as he stood outside the girl's bathroom. He waited there for a minute. Then he started to worry.

_What if Rima wasn't even the girl those guys were talking about? What if she got snatched a while ago while I was sitting in the theater? What if something's happening to her right now? _

He started to sweat.

_God. I should've followed her out right away. Then this wouldn't be happening. How am I going to explain this to Amu? Shit. If she's okay, I promise I'll never let her out of my sight again! _

Just then the door to the bathroom opened and out walked that short blond girl that was constantly occupying his thoughts. That girl that no matter how angry she got or how dramatic she was, she always managed to look so cute that he'd blush uncontrollably.

She was looking up at him, eyes wide, cheeks red.

"Nagihi—"

He reached out, grabbed hold of her arm, and pulled her to his chest.

"Idiot," he said as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

_Thank God._

"Wha…" she started to ask, but he just squeezed her tighter.

Two girls walked toward the door to the bathroom and shot them weird looks.

"Let's go," he said releasing her. He grabbed her left hand and pulled her back toward the lobby.

* * *

"Wait, Nagihiko!"

Rima was in shock as she was being pulled away from the bathroom. She didn't understand what was going on.

_He…he actually showed up. He followed me. Was he out here this whole time?_

She couldn't ignore the happy feeling that coursed through her knowing he'd been worried about her. She really had acted stupid. All because of a spider. And she had doubted him.

As they got closer to the lobby, they passed by a small group of guys and she felt Nagihiko's hand tighten around hers. _Huh?_

One of the guys looked their way.

"Hey there's that blond. Looks like some other guy got to her before Takao."

"Yeah he must've settled for that brunette instead. I prefer blonds myself."

A feeling of dread crept through Rima. She could feel their eyes on her and she'd never felt so disgusting. She latched on to Nagihiko's arm and pulled him closer to her.

"Eh? Rima?"

"Just keep walking."

"Okay."

She was surprised at how easily he complied as he lead them back toward the doors to their theater. So many thoughts were going through her head.

_What if he hadn't followed me? What if those guys had kidnapped me? All because I got so worked up over such a small thing and stormed out. _

She needed to bite back her pride and apologize to him. Something she wouldn't be able to do in a movie theater. She stopped walking.

"Nagihiko."

He turned around to face her after realizing they had stopped.

"You saved me just now didn't you?"

"Huh?"

The lobby was still filled with people and she realized he probably couldn't hear her. She turned around to see the group of guys had left so she pulled Nagihiko outside to one of the benches by the ticket booth.

"Sit," she commanded as she pushed him down on the bench, "I want to be at eye-level when I say this."

"Uhh..Rima?"

"Shh. Don't talk."

She saw him blush as he closed his mouth and looked at her. _Damnit._ _Him and that contagious blush of his!_

She took a deep breath.

"Nagihiko. I'm sorry." His blush deepened and she had to swallow hard to keep her focus.

"I'm sorry that I freaked out and got pissed at you for laughing at me. And I'm sorry that I laughed at you for being afraid of the movie."

She looked away. She couldn't look at those eyes anymore without feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry I made you sit with me and that I ruined your night!"

Her cheeks were on fire now.

"Rima…stop apologizing."

Her eyes widened as she looked back at him. "But…I…"

She felt those arms wrap around her shoulders again as she was pulled into his embrace.

"I'm just glad you're okay."

She felt him give her a light squeeze as he said that. His body heat was slowly being transferred to hers.

"Nagihiko?"

"Yeah?"

"That guy, Takao or whoever…he was coming to find me wasn't he?"

"…Yeah."

She pressed her chin against his shoulder and she started to tremble slightly as she pictured what could've happened to her.

"Rima?"

She blinked back the tears that were forming as he called her name. She didn't want to say anything because then he'd know that she was crying. She just couldn't stop wondering what would've happened if he hadn't showed up. This was the second time he'd saved her. But this time she wasn't angry about it.

"I promise you I won't let anything like that happen to you, okay?"

No. She definitely wasn't angry. This feeling was completely new to her. She couldn't put a name to it. All she knew was that it made her feel safe and warm.

* * *

A million thoughts were running through Amu's head as the credits started rolling and the lights came back on. She looked down. Ikuto was still holding her hand.

_What happens now? Do I let go? I mean we're leaving so I don't know why I'd still hold onto his hand._

"Good movie."

Amu flinched at the sound of Ikuto's voice and she turned to face him.

"Uhh…yeah."

"Let's go find Nagi and Rima."

_Oh yeah._

Amu blushed. Had she really forgotten about Rima? Wasn't she the whole reason they'd come to this movie in the first place?

"Come on."

Ikuto got up and pulled her with him as he headed for the exit. Amu looked down again.

_He's not letting go._

She smiled to herself as she let herself get dragged through the doors. Who would've thought things would end up like this?

"I don't see them anywhere. Do you?"

_Huh?_ _Oh right._

She was supposed to be looking for Rima. _Get a hold of yourself Amu!_ She scanned the lobby but didn't see them anywhere.

"No. I wonder where they are."

"Amu! Ikuto! Over here."

At the sound of Rima's voice, Amu immediately jerked her hand from Ikuto's. He looked at her in surprise for a second but it quickly turned to an expression of hurt as he looked away towards the other two.

_Shit. I didn't want to let go! _

She just hadn't wanted Rima to see. _Why? _

"Did you guys like the movie?" Nagihiko asked.

She didn't know why, but for some reason Amu felt like Nagihiko was smirking directly at her as he asked that. _What?_

"Yeah," Ikuto replied. "It was a little weird, but good. What about you guys?"

Amu saw Rima's face heat up immediately. She raised an eyebrow. _Hmm…wonder what that's about?_

"Good. Right Rima?"

"Uhh..yeah."

"Sorry we couldn't all sit together," Ikuto said.

"Yeah I'm sure you are," Nagihiko replied with that smirk again.

She saw Ikuto flash him a questioning look but Nagihiko just shook his head smiling. Amu blushed. _Maybe he saw something?_

"Right…uhhh…well, anyway it's late so we should get going. Ready Rima?"

The sooner she got out of there, the better. Standing there next to Ikuto was nerve-wracking in itself. She didn't need Nagihiko to stare at her like that too.

"Sure," Rima said. "See you guys at school tomorrow."

She grabbed Rima's arm and pulled her toward the parking lot.

"You okay, Amu?"

"Yep. I'm fine. Just tired."

She had a lot to think about. She could pretty much bet her life savings that she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Another chapter done! This one was fun to write and I'm sure all you Rimahiko fans enjoyed it! It ended up a little more intense than I originally planned but oh well! Next Chapter is gonna be the first day back at school and I'm going to try and cover both Rima and Amu's POVs in one chapter so we can get this story rolling. Thanks again to everyone who's stuck with it and is still reading. I look forward to any reviews you guys leave!**


	16. Brutal Misunderstandings

**A/N: Yay it's time for another chapter! The only reason I have time to write this is because college has been closed every day so far this week due to this massive snow storm that hit the east coast over here. It's been nuts! I think about this story before I go to bed like two or three times a week trying to figure out how I want things to go next. I have a basic idea so I'm just gonna roll with it since I have time and just write whatever comes to mind. Unfortunately, I'm skipping over the car ride home from the theater for both groups just so I don't spend a whole nother chapter on it. Sorry!**

**Reviews:**

**MissMurderDoll: **Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! And I'm glad I finally posted a new chapter too! Thanks for sticking with this story!

**ArtGrrl: **Woo! You're still here! Thanks so much for sticking with me this whole time! It really means a lot!

**Yuki461k:** Hello again! It's always reassuring to read a review from someone who went out of their way to keep me writing. I'll always remember you for it!

**Stray Dreamer:** Thanks! Originally there was gonna be more with Amu and Ikuto at the end of the last chapter but I changed the way the plot was gonna go a little bit and it was easier to do it that way. Sorry!

**Dittoeevee: **First off, let me just say that you're lucky that movie theaters you go to don't have spiders. I used to work in a movie theater and there were spiders like everywhere! Second, it was my bad for not describing the lobby/bathroom areas the way I was picturing them to make it more believable that she could've been kidnapped. Basically the hallway to the bathroom was in the front corner right by the entrance so assuming the guy had brought her down the hallway to his group of friends, it was only a few steps to the door to get her outside. That was my bad. Sorry!

**Juleskat: **Yes Nagi is sweet isn't he?! I just love him. He's one of my favorite characters to write! Also, I hate to disappoint but Rima won't find out about it for awhile. You'll find out why next chapter! ;]

**xLeopardx: **Thanks so much! I try my best not to rush things in this story. Actually I don't try too much, but unfortunately (or fortunately) I can't stop myself from providing ridiculous amounts of detail to the growing relationships. I just think it makes the story more believable and a lot of people skip the good parts of falling in love :]. And by good parts I mean the heartwrenching, frustrating, yet exciting things!

**Bluepanda:** Oh, they're all out of denial (well except for Rima, but that's just cause she's a first timer!). They just have to figure out how the other side feels! Thanks for reviewing!

**HarunaNiwa:** Yeah, you're gonna be saying 'poor Ikuto' a lot more in the next few chapters. I'm sorry in advance! But I promise it will be worth it!

**Xhappily-randomx: **Thanks so much for still reading this! I really do appreciate it so much! And the Rimahiko moment was fun to write! Hopefully they'll just continue to get sweeter! (Well…for the most part! :X.

**And now onto the story! **

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Beep-Beep!

Amu jumped as she attempted to swallow the last of her cereal. She felt her heart start to race as she reached for her phone. Quickly, she flipped it open to answer the text message. Her eyes scanned the screen. Then her shoulders drooped.

_It's not him._

She let out a sigh of disappointment as she responded to her sister Ami's text message letting her know where her hairbrush was.

_Middle schoolers are so annoying! And lazy! I'm only downstairs and she had to text that!_

She didn't know why she was acting so frustrated. It's not like he told her he was going to text her. She sighed again. She'd spent the majority of last night analyzing things in her head. Her face started to heat up as that almost-kiss flashed in front of her.

She still didn't know who had started it. But she couldn't stop thinking about it. Or about him. Yep. She definitely liked him. But what about him? How did he feel about all this?

She tossed her bowl in the sink and headed out the door to school. It wasn't a far walk—ten blocks or so. About four or five blocks down, a couple came out of a nearby store and started walking ahead of her. They were holding hands.

Amu blushed. She held out her own hand and stared at it as she continued to walk. _He wouldn't hold my hand if he didn't like me, right? That's something only couples do, isn't it?_ Then again, he had only done it to keep her from hiding her face from the movie. But then he had continued to hold her hand afterward. So didn't that mean something?

_Ugh. I need to stop thinking about this. _

She wasn't going to be able to figure this out on her own. But she couldn't tell Rima about it. Cause then she'd win this little unannounced battle between them. Rima would never let her hear the end of it if she knew she'd been right about Ikuto. And she certainly wasn't going to ask Ikuto about it. _Obviously…_

_So what am I supposed to do?_

Then she remembered something. _Nagihiko…_ She was pretty sure he knew something was up. That smirk was a little too teasing last night for him to just be innocently suggesting something to her. But what could he have seen from so far up in the theater?

_Not that anything really even happened anyway. Just some hand-holding and an almost-kiss._

She felt her face heat up again. Even if Nagihiko didn't know anything, she didn't see any other option. She couldn't torment herself with this confusion any longer. Besides, she could always use his feelings for Rima to make sure he didn't say anything.

Of course she wouldn't really ever say anything to Rima. But Nagihiko didn't know that. So it might be a little mean, but all is fair in love and war right?

Beep-Beep!

Amu reached for her phone as she walked through the school gates. _Maybe he saw me?!_

She flipped it open.

_God damnit, Ami! I told you it's in the bottom drawer!_

_

* * *

  
_

Rima tapped her fingers on her desk in homeroom. _Where is she?_ Amu was running late. She hoped she was feeling okay. The car ride home last night had been pretty silent. Not that she minded. She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't really even noticed they'd pulled up to her house.

But it was unusual for Amu to be so quiet. So either she wasn't feeling well or something happened. Rima hoped it was the latter. How fortunate for her that a girls night out turned into the perfect opportunity to help Amu move on from Tadase.

"_I promise you I won't let anything like that happen to you, okay?"_

Her cheeks turned ten shades of red as she remembered what Nagihiko had said to her. Well, it wasn't as if she'd really forgotten about that part of the night. More like she was just pretending not to think about it. She'd even cried then. He hadn't seen her, but it was still embarrassing.

And she also apologized to him. Twice in one evening! This wasn't like her at all! Why was she letting some boy affect her like this?

But as much as she hated how stupid she acted around him, she couldn't say she _disliked_ the feeling of his arms around her when he hugged her. But what did that even mean anyway?

"You feeling alright, Rima?"

Rima jumped at the sound of her best friend's voice.

"Huh? Yeah, why?"

"Nothing. You're face just looks a little red. Like you've got a fever."

Rima tried her best to prevent her blush from deepening. _God. What a ridiculous bodily response. It always happens at the weirdest times and I can't even control it! _

"I'm fine. It's just hot in here, I guess. What about you? You look exhausted."

Amu's eyes were kind of red and her eyelids seemed a bit droopy.

"Yeah. I didn't sleep well last night. Not feeling too good."

_Hmm…then maybe nothing happened for her last night._ _How disappointing. _

"Hey…Did Nagihiko say anything…odd to you last night?"

_I promise you I won't let anything like that happen to you, okay?_

Rima blushed. _Gah! Shut up!_

"Uhh, no, not really. What do you mean?"

"Oh okay. It's nothing. I just thought he seemed a bit weird after the movie that's all. But I guess not. No worries!" Amu laughed nervously.

_Hmm…? _

But the bell rang before she could ask Amu what the hell she was talking about. She'd have to ask Nagihiko about it in class.

Wait, that's right. She was about to go to cooking class. She suddenly started to feel nervous. It wasn't like this was the first day of classes. So why the hell would she be nervous? She willed the feeling away and made her way to class, but as she reached the room, that feeling came rushing back.

_What the hell is wrong with me?!_

_

* * *

_

_I feel like I'm gonna die._

Amu was staring at herself in the mirror of the girl's locker room. She was about to see Ikuto for the first time since last night and she literally felt like she was going to have a heart attack.

_This is ridiculous. It's just gym class. Calm down, Amu! _

It's not like this class was going to make or break her relationship with him. It had never been this bad with Tadase. Of course, with Tadase, she never had to think about what she was going to say or how she was going to act because she had liked him from the beginning. And because she never talked to him anyway.

But with Ikuto, obviously she would have to talk to him. He was her gym partner after all. She looked at the clock. She only had a minute before she had to get out there.

_Ugh. Whatever._

She was just going to act like she always did. She was _way_ over thinking this. Taking a deep breath, she touched herself up, rearranging her bangs slightly and splashing some water or her face, before she made her way into the gymnasium.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the head of blue hair facing Kyoto sensei. She felt her face heat up, just like she knew it would. She shook the feeling away and walked toward the open spot next to him. She took another deep breath as she got close to him. _I can do this!_

As soon as she occupied the space next to him, Kyoto started speaking. Which was probably for the best. Since she had no idea what to say to Ikuto. _Normal, Amu. Just act normal._ Apparently fitness testing was finally over and they were going to move on to basketball.

"Hey."

She instinctively looked over to her right. Suddenly she found herself looking into those eyes of his and she felt really…happy. He'd spoken to her! Then, she noticed one of his eyebrows raising up and she realized she was pretty much just staring at him.

"Uhh Hey!" She said maybe a little too enthusiastically. _Calm down!_

"You okay?"

"Um, yep. Just uhh excited to be done with testing is all."

_God I sound like an idiot. _She gave herself a mental slap in the face. _Though it's not my fault he's so damn cute that I can't concentrate!_

The first half of the class was spent listening and watching as Kyoto taught them the different ways of passing the ball. Amu was only half paying attention though. She was trying to figure out a way to start up a conversation with Ikuto. She had to redeem herself from acting so weird before.

After what seemed like forever, Kyoto finally told them to split up into their partners and practice passing the ball back and forth. _Yes! Here's my chance!_ Ikuto grabbed a ball and they found some empty space by the wall.

_But what should I say? _She figured she should probably avoid the topic of the movie since the thought of it just made her uncomfortable around him. What did they normally talk about before? _Oh that's right. Rima and Nagihiko…hmm…_

"Amu!"

She was pulled from her thoughts just in time to get smacked in the face with the ball. She fell to the ground.

"Ow!"

"Are you okay?"

At first her heart jumped hearing that he was worried about her. But then she looked up and saw he was covering his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to keep himself from laughing.

"I'm fine!" She yelled, getting herself up.

"I'm sorry. But it wouldn't have happened if you were paying attention."

"Yes. Thank you for that observation."

Scratch what she said earlier. He was so _not_ cute! But she couldn't deny that what he said next left her with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"So have you tried talking to Tadase yet?" He asked, passing her the ball.

"What?" She asked, passing the ball back to him.

"You know, Tadase? That guy you're practically in love with but have never talked to?"

Why was he asking her about Tadase? She started to feel a little nauseous as she continued to pass the ball.

"Yes I know who he is…"

"I'm gonna take that as a no, then."

_What the hell? Did last night not mean anything to him?  
_

"You know, Amu. I can only help you so much."

She started to get angry. He was still trying to help her get together with Tadase. It couldn't be much plainer than that. He didn't have any feelings for her. _I guess I really was the only one thinking about it this whole time. _She tossed the ball at him with all her strength.

"Woah! What was that?" He asked, shaking his hand to alleviate some of the pain from catching the ball.

"You're such a jerk!"

"What? Why?" He shot the ball back at her.

Amu's hands were on fire as she caught his pass. _Ow!_ But she couldn't let him know that. She didn't even feel like responding to him. She just continued to throw the ball at him. She was only a little disappointed that it didn't reach his face.

"Why because you can't talk to Tadase?"

"Will you shut up about Tadase?!"

"What?!"

"I _said_ I don't care about Tadase!"

"Is everything okay over here?"

Amu jumped as she felt Kyoto's hand touch her shoulder. She turned to face him.

"It's fine. I'm just…not feeling well," She said shooting a look at Ikuto. "Is it alright if I go to the nurse's office?"

Kyoto looked at her questioningly. Why did he always seem to know when she was lying?

"Sure. Go ahead. I'll take over for you. Feel better okay?"

"Thanks. I'm sorry." She said, unable to look him in the eye.

She glanced over her shoulder at Ikuto who was looking at her with a shocked and confused expression. _Asshole._ She turned and walked toward the locker room. She made it all the way into the bathroom before she felt a small tear make its way down her cheek.

Sure there had been a part of her that thought last night didn't mean anything. But there was also that part of her that was sure he felt the same way she did. And the disappointment that part of her was feeling right now outweighed everything else.

She sniffled a bit as she wiped the tear from her cheek. _This was all his fault! He was the one who grabbed her hand. He was the one who didn't let go._

The image of his hurt expression at the end of the night flashed in front of her. That's right. She had let go at that time. And he hadn't even tried to hide that he was upset about it. So didn't that mean he liked holding her hand, and therefore liked her?

"God, why is he sending such mixed signals!"

She needed to find Nagihiko.

* * *

_What the hell was that about?_

A thousand different emotions and thoughts were running through Ikuto's mind as he passed the ball with Kyoto. She'd been acting weird since she walked in. And she'd gotten mad just now for no reason.

_Was it just_ _because I made fun of her and Tadase?_

But he did that all the time and she'd never gotten _that _pissed about it. Besides, it's not like he wanted to talk about Tadase. He didn't actually want her to talk to him. But what else was he supposed to do? Tell her he didn't want her talking to any other guys?

She'd squeezed his hand so tightly last night. And the faces she'd made when she was scared were so cute that it only made him like her more. So much so that he didn't want to let go of her hand even after the movie was finished. But she had practically torn her hand away as soon as she'd gotten the chance. Wasn't that her way of telling him she didn't want to? That she didn't like him?

So why was she so pissed about him talking about Tadase then?

_Grr. Girls are so confusing!_

"Woah, Ikuto. A little bit of anger in that pass there. Everything okay?"

"Sorry. Maybe I just need to take a break."

"Sure thing. It's about time to head back to the locker rooms anyway."

Ikuto changed quickly and slammed his locker shut.

_What the hell am I supposed to do now?_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: Okay so I added a plot changer in here that I hadn't originally planned on, making the story a bit more complicated, but a bit more fun at the same time. I'm not gonna tell you what it was cause I'm weird like that. **

**Anyway, things are gonna get interesting next chapter. A certain little blond boy is finally gonna become relevant! (Boo!) But as I've said before, he's a necessary character so it must be done. But it's gonna be another few weeks before I get the next chapter going because all my classes are behind now because of the snow and I have two exams coming up. But hopefully it won't be too too long. **

**Thanks to all the readers and reviewers! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next one!**


	17. Incurable Fever

**A/N: Yay finally found time to write!! It's finally spring break and I have time to relax and actually do things not related to school work! And since it's so beautiful outside, I figured I should just sit by a tree on campus and type away! So that's what I'll do!**

**And did everyone else read the first chapter they released for Shugo Chara Encore?! The Kutau chapter? If you haven't, GO READ IT NOW! It's sooo cute!!! I'm hoping for a Rimahiko one next time but we'll see what they give us. On that note, I don't know if anyone keeps up with the Shugo Chara Party! Episodes ( I don't blame you if you don't since Ikuto's not in them and nothing really happens). But anyway, EVERYONE needs to see the episode that comes out next Friday. IKUTO CAME BACK! Yesterday's episode ended with Amu coming home and finding him in her bed. OMG my heart practically died! And it's gonna be the last episode of the season (and possibly the series who knows?!) And the title is Heartbeat of Heartbeat! I'm thinking they might animate the amusement park date but obviously have it end differently (Perhaps an I love you maybe?! Or maybe even a kiss! WHO KNOWS BUT WATCH IT!)**

**Also, to those of you who want a quick Amuto fix, I wrote a quick cute little two-shot a few weeks ago if you haven't already checked it out already (I know some of you have and thanks for that!). Just go to my profile page and you'll see it. Secondly, if you're looking for some good Amuto one-shots you should totally go read Stray Dreamer's stories! They're totally awesome one-shots!**

**Now onto the reviewers (WE GOT TO 200 Reviews by the way!!! Thanks so much everyone!! 3):**

**Juleskat: **Thanks! I know Amu gets super moody doesn't she?! These next few chapters are gonna be fun to write between Amu and Ikuto so I'm pretty excited actually! And I don't even want to think about what a moody Rima is like _.

**ArtGrrl: **I LOLed "oh holy awesomeness!" Thanks so much for always reading and I will try to keep up the awesomeness!! And yes I totally did have fun in the like 4 feet of snow that we got!!

**HarunaNiwa: **Thanks! I think fun to write about what's going through people's minds as they're trying to figure out their feelings and how to handle their crush and I like to think that boys and girls think along the same lines!

**Yuki461k: **I agree! Girls totally don't understand themselves either! I'm super confusing! And yeah, I wanted to dedicate a chapter to the thoughts that go through peoples' heads when they realize they like someone! Especially when the situation is complicated like this one!

**xhappily-randomx: **Thanks for the good luck for my exams! They've gone well so far actually! And thanks for reviewing! The plot changer actually wasn't that intense. I originally was gonna have Amu figure out what to do on her own but I thought adding Nagihiko to the mix of those two would be more fun :D!

**Love'n'Hate:** When I read your name, I always read Love'n'Hate-chan in my head. LOL! You're the only one I do that for and I'm not sure why?! Anyways, Yay you finally reviewed!!!I don't think my titles are particularly awesome but thanks! LOL I love the point system you have set up for the guys and the girls. I think Amu's gonna give the girls a point pretty soon though. Though you can tell me whether you think either side gets one from this chapter! And with Tadase, I sort of see it the way they depict a lot of the cute guys in animes—that a lot of the girls think they're in love with them just because they're cute type deal. And he helped Amu out in math class last year! Don't forget that! :P And I agree. Ikuto is TOTALLY Smexy!!!

**Kan'u: **Thanks for reading and reviewing! Sorry it took so long to update! I just get really busy but I promise you I always think about this story! I won't forget about it!

**LittleRedRidingHood (Red): **I already told you this but you rock for reading the whole story in one day!! Thanks for reviewing as you read too! It's always nice to see reviews on older chapters! Though I think you'll start to get antsy since it takes a few weeks to get the next chapter up! I'm sorry in advance!!

**And now onto the story!**

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"Hey, Rima. What part do you want to do today?"

Rima jumped at the sound of Nagihiko's voice. She'd been spacing out the entire ten minutes they'd been in class already. She started to turn her head towards him and then immediately snapped it back. There was no way she could handle seeing that smiling face of his right now.

It had taken her a full minute to compose herself enough to walk into the classroom earlier because of that random anxiety attack she had as she had approached the door. She had dismissed it at first, but as soon as she sat down, Nagihiko had greeted her with that damn smile of his and she'd practically fallen off her stool.

_What the hell is wrong with my stomach!_

Perhaps she just wasn't feeling well. She didn't know what else it could be. _Some new stomach virus maybe?_ That would explain why her cheeks kept heating up like this so often now. _Yes that's it! I must be getting sick!_

"Umm…Rima?"

Her face flushed again. _Gah! Why does it feel like being around Nagihiko just makes me feel even more sick?!_ But she couldn't just stand there and continue to ignore him. Besides, it wasn't his fault that she was sick all the sudden. And knowing him, he'd probably just worry about her if he knew she was sick so she needed to make it through this class and afterward she could just go to the nurse.

"Rima, are you okay?"

She felt his hand touch her arm and she flinched as she finally turned to look at him. Bad idea. There they were again. Those worried eyes staring back at her. Her mind was suddenly filled with the memory of him pulling her into his embrace as she walked out of the movie theater bathroom. She shut her eyes and quickly shook away the image.

_Get a hold of yourself, Rima! Just make it through this class!_

"What? Yes, I'm fine. Sorry," she said as she looked away.

"Ah…okay. Well would you like to try cutting the vegetables today and I'll boil the water for the rice?"

"What?! No way! You're way better than I am at cutting!"

Though she couldn't even boil the water right before either. She really was a burden to him in this class. She just made things more difficult.

"Rima. You won't ever get good at it if you don't try. Besides, I don't want you to accidentally burn yourself again either." He looked away and she saw his cheeks redden slightly.

Her eyes widened a bit before returning to normal, and her cheeks mimicked his. He was worried about her.

"Okay," she replied. Then she realized something. "Wait a minute. If I can't even boil the water, or use a whisk correctly, what makes you think I can handle a knife safely?!"

_I'll most certainly end up cutting my finger off or something!_

She stared at her fingers, worried for her own safety. Then she heard a strange sound and looked up to see Nagihiko trying to suppress his laughter. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"That's a good point, Rima," he said through laughs. "Guess I'll just have to teach you." He winked at her.

_Eh?!_

She felt her entire body heat up as she blushed yet again. _Stupid cheeks!_ The last thing she needed was for him to stand behind her and grab her arm again like he had with the whip cream. She was not feeling well enough to be able to handle that today.

"F-fine, but I'll just watch you first and then do it myself okay?!"

He looked at her a little confused at first, but eventually flashed her a smile and said, "Okay!"

_Stupid smile! Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

She looked at the clock. _Only an hour left, Rima! Just make it through!_ She couldn't wait to get to the nurse's office and get some medicine to get this virus out of her system!

She walked over and stood next to him as he placed a cucumber on the cutting board in front of him.

"So just hold onto it with your left hand. Grab it close to the end you're not going to cut to avoid cutting your fingers. Then, you just place the sharp end of the knife against it at the other end and slice down."

He made a clean slice into the cucumber as he said this and Rima watched as the newly formed slice fell flat onto the cutting board.

"Simple, right?" he asked looking at her. "Then you just do it again."

He started to cut into it again and increased his speed as he went.

"Then, once you get good, you can do it almost without thinking."

Rima stared as he effortlessly cut through half of the cucumber in a matter of seconds. _Easy for him to say!_

"Here, you try." He said handing her the knife.

She took it from him and replaced him in front of the cutting board. _It really doesn't seem too hard._ She put her left hand on the hand and placed the knife against the cucumber. She pushed down and was met with some resistance. _Damn, this thing is tough! Is he superman or something? _She pushed down harder and clenched her teeth and felt the knife slice through.

Her eyes widened slightly and she smiled. _Yes!_ _I did it!_ She placed the knife back on the end of the cucumber and pushed a little bit harder this time and felt the blade ease through. This wasn't so bad. Sure she wasn't as fast as Nagihiko but she could at least do it without messing anything up.

"Look, Nagihiko! I can do it!"

She looked over at him smiling excitedly, but he was intently staring at the water he was now trying to boil.

"Great job, Rima. Keep at it. I'm gonna do this."

_Eh?_

"But you didn't even look over here."

"No I did, I promise. I'm just concentrating on the water now."

She raised an eyebrow. _Why's he acting so weird?_ She continued to watch him for a minute but he just continued to stare down at the water. _Oh well._ She put her hand back on the cucumber and resumed cutting. She smiled again as the slices fell against the cutting board. She wasn't even feeling that sick anymore.

_I'm finally being useful!_

_

* * *

  
_

Nagihiko knew he probably looked like an idiot, but there was no way he could look over at her right now. His face felt like it could fry an egg it was so hot. He really had been watching her. She had looked over at him so excitedly and happy. He really didn't think she could look any cuter than she had then. He was lucky he was quick enough to look away before she saw him.

_Calm yourself, Nagi! You can't just stare at this water all day!_

He heard the sound of the knife hitting against the cutting board and he figured it was safe to look up again. He looked over and watched her cut into the cucumber. She started smiling again and he could feel his cheeks heat up again. He needed to give himself something else to focus on.

_She is too cute for her own good._

He started to read the recipe but couldn't prevent his mind from wandering off to the events of the previous night.

"_Nagihiko, I'm sorry."_

Throughout the entire night, she'd apologized to him for everything, even for the incident when she'd fallen down the stairs last year. They could finally start with a clean slate. As far as he could tell, she at least thought of him as a friend now right?

He remembered seeing her walk out of that bathroom after what felt like hours of stressful searching. He'd never felt so relieved in his entire life. She really affected him more than anyone else. And made him almost do crazy things like try and beat up an entire group of guys for her sake. He smiled at the thought of it.

He looked over at her cutting again. She was on the carrots now, but she seemed like she was having a harder time with it. He watched as she pushed the knife down into the carrot. The knife went about halfway through and then stopped. She continued to push down, and after that didn't work, she started to pout. Nagihiko smiled again. She really was too cute.

She grabbed onto the knife handle with both hands, clenched her teeth, and pushed down with all her strength. The knife suddenly shot through the rest of the carrot which made the slice shoot off to her right and the rest of the carrot roll off to the left.

"Shoot!" He heard her yell.

He had to force back a laugh as he walked over toward her.

"That's why you have to keep a hand on the carrot, Rima."

"I tried, but I couldn't push down with one hand!" She pouted again.

"If a vegetable is hard to cut, you don't have to try and push down in one go. Just pull the knife back and forth like you would cutting into anything else like a steak or something. You can't do it as fast that way, but sometimes it's all you can do."

He stood behind her and placed his right hand over hers as he had while teaching her to whip the cream. He pushed slowly down into the carrot and as he did so, pulled the knife back and forth.

"Like this, see?"

"Y-yeah."

He blushed slightly. He could smell the faint scent of apples coming from her hair and it reminded him of when he'd hugged her last night. Her hair had smelled like that then too and he found himself wondering what kind of shampoo she used.

"Umm..Nagihiko?"

He blinked and realized he was still holding onto her hand. He quickly pulled his away and she turned around to face him. The red on his cheeks increased and he could see it start to spread across hers as well. He hadn't wanted to let go of her. Just like last night. He felt the sudden urge to hug her again as her wide eyes stared up at him.

But she suddenly tore her gaze from his.

"I'm s-sorry. I haven't been feeling well today. I'm gonna go to the nurse's office."

And without looking at him, she dropped the knife on the table, took off her apron, ran toward the teacher, and then ran out the door.

He started breathing a little heavily and crouched down slightly to regain his composure. He hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath. He placed a hand against his heart and could feel it pounding against his chest. He wished he could say he was sick. But he was pretty sure there was no amount of medicine that could stop his heart from beating this way around Rima.

* * *

Rima continued to run down the hallway toward the infirmary. This stomach virus suddenly kicked into overdrive a few minutes ago and she knew there was no way she could make it through the rest of the class. She felt bad for leaving Nagihiko there to finish everything by himself, but she had to get out of there.

Not to mention, they were working with food so it was probably for the best. Otherwise, she might've passed it onto him as well. And she didn't want anyone else to have to experience this crazy virus.

* * *

**A/N: Yay another chapter done! Okay so the ending sounded a little cheesy but oh well. I hope all you Rimahiko fans out there enjoyed this one :D! And I obviously didn't get to feature Tadase in this one. I don't know why I always think these things through in my head and think I can fit them all into one chapter because I never can! But next chapter is probably going to be really long and once you read it, you'll thank me for making it separate because all of the next chapter was supposed to go in this chapter! **

**Once again, college starts up again on Monday so I'm not sure when I'll be able to write again, but you can expect one every 3-4 weeks pretty much. I actually wrote this in record time! Anyway, thanks again to everyone who read this and an extra awesome super hug to everyone who reviews!**


	18. Make Him Jealous, Duh!

**A/N: So I realized after I posted the last chapter and went to read it that it was a lot shorter than I thought it was! I'm sorry! I feel bad that you all waited all that time to read that little blurb so I'm writing another short one real quick to give you guys some more to read before the next legit chapter comes out! I feel bad! No wonder it took me a lot less time to write that one than usual! Sorry! **

**But I'm still going to comment on reviews:**

**Bluepanda: **Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like the virus thing! I still think it's a little cheesy but I couldn't help myself :D

**Juleskat: **LOL! I DIED the "Nagi virus". My roommate had to ask me if I was okay I laughed so hard. And yeah, I just feel like Rima is the kind of person who would be in denial about this sort of thing for awhile. Like hardcore denial. Don't worry, she'll figure it out soon enough!

**Stray Dreamer:** Aww you're allowed to write cute as many times as you want in a review for me! I wanted it to be cute so if you're overwhelmed by the cuteness, that means I did a good job!! And that makes me happy :D! And unfortunately this isn't the super long chapter since I ended up splitting it up but you get this sooner so that makes up for it right?! And you're welcome! I want other people to bask in the glow of your awesome one-shots as well!

**X3sploosh: **Don't worry about not reviewing as you went along. I'm always SUPER happy when I see that someone has reviewed for the first time! It's like YAY a new reader!!! Your name makes me giggle by the way. And I'm sorry you're not an Amuto fan but I hope the Rimahiko moments are good enough to keep you reading :D!

**Mika and M.Z.: **Hello crazy Kats! I'm glad you're so obsessed with my story now! And thanks for reading all the way through and reviewing!! I love seeing new people read it! And I hope this update came soon enough for you!

**Riri-tan: **I hope you know who you are because I didn't feel like typing your whole name, sorry!! And I'm glad you enjoy fluffy marshmellow goodness because there's certainly more to come, especially with Nagi and Rima! :D

**Red:** Yay my newest FF friend! And co-Ikuto lover! (Can't wait to scream all throughout the next Party episode AHHH!!!!). Anyways, tell your mom to stop watching you while you're reading Amuto/Rimahiko moments and she won't get freaked out when you talk to yourself out loud :D.

**I wasn't going to include the first part of this chapter originally, but it's a fun little thing to add. Enjoy!**

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Amu looked up at the ceiling from one of the beds in the infirmary. She knew she hadn't really needed to come there, but for validity reasons, she figured she should show up just in case Kyoto checked in with the nurse later or something.

_Especially since it felt like he knew I was lying…_

She rolled onto her side and faced the curtain surrounding her bed. She was glad no one could see her right now. Once she had laid down and had time to collect her thoughts, the fact that Ikuto didn't like her hit her hard. She had tried her best to hide her sobs but she didn't know if she was successful. Either way, she was thankful the nurse didn't come over to check on her. Her eyes were probably still red from crying even now.

_Ikuto you asshole!_

She squeezed the pillow tightly. But no matter how tight she squeezed, it didn't squeeze back. Nothing compared to Ikuto's hand. She hadn't even realized how comforting that little squeeze he'd reciprocated in the theater was.

Once she got through this, she was going back to liking someone like Tadase. It was much less painful if her heart wasn't truly invested in it. She realized now that she had just thought she liked Tadase because he'd been nice to her a few times and he was cute. Now she couldn't even imagine what it would feel like to kiss him. Or do anything with him really.

But with Ikuto, every moment, whether she was angry or happy or excited, made her heart race.

_God damnit! I'm just depressing myself even more!_

She felt a tear trickle down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. She looked at the clock. She only had half an hour to regain her composure and make it to the next class. Luckily, she didn't have to see Ikuto again until tomorrow. She had definitely resigned herself to talking to Nagihiko. Even though her mind told her Ikuto didn't like her that way, her heart wasn't going to let her give up so easily.

She had to at least try. But the only thing she knew about Nagihiko's schedule was that he was in cooking class right now. But she didn't want to risk running into Rima as well. Just then, she heard the door to the infirmary open.

"Hello dear. Can I help you?" she heard the nurse ask.

"Yes…I…need…medicine."

Amu's eyes widened. _Rima?!_ She got up and tiptoed toward the curtain, moving it just enough to get a view of the door. Rima was leaning over, panting. _Did she run here??_

"Well, tell me what's wrong, and I'll see if we have anything that can help."

She watched Rima's panting gradually come to a stop. Rima stood up straight again and started detailing her symptoms to the nurse.

"Ever since first period started, I feel like I have a fever and sometimes I feel lightheaded and my stomach starts to feel all weird like I'm nervous even though I'm not and sometimes I feel totally normal and then it all comes back just like that."

It took Amu a few seconds to process everything Rima said. _Rima…you're not making any sense._

"Calm down," the nurse started, "You're telling me all of this started, ended, and then started again all in the last hour?"

"Yes! I know, it sounds crazy. I think I might have some sort of weird virus."

Amu raised an eyebrow at that. _A virus?_ She wondered where Rima would've even picked up a virus like that so suddenly.

"Well your temperature seems normal now. Did it go away again?"

"Well, I'm little hot from running here, I think. But other than that, I feel okay right now."

"I see…Is there anything you can think of that could've caused it? It is possible that you came down with something but I've never heard of a virus coming and going like that."

Amu watched as Rima thought hard for a moment. Suddenly, she jumped as if a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Wait! Yesterday when I was at the movie theater, I may have gotten bit by a spider!"

"You might have?"

"Yes, well it was crawling all over my skin and it took me a few moments to kill it. So maybe it bit me."

Amu thought the nurse seemed a little amused at this. She couldn't really blame her. Rima sounded a little nuts right now. Though Amu did know how much Rima hated spiders. She couldn't help but wonder how Rima had reacted in the middle of the theater when she saw the spider. _Poor Nagihiko…_

_Wait! That's right! If Rima's here, that means Nagihiko is by himself in cooking!_

This was probably her only chance to get Nagihiko alone to talk to him about Ikuto. But how the hell was she going to get out of here without Rima seeing her?

"Why don't you lay down, Rima, and I'll see if I can find some medicine for you okay?"

"Yes, thank you."

Amu watched as Rima went to a bed across the room. The nurse pulled the curtain around them and Amu could no longer see them.

_Now's my chance I guess._

She felt bad leaving without checking out with the nurse, but the last thing she needed was for Rima to know she was here, which would most definitely result in a bunch of intrusive questions about how she was feeling and why. She knew she didn't have much time so she quickly slipped around the curtain and quietly opened and closed the door to the infirmary.

She had ten minutes or so to get to the cooking classroom and she would just wait there for the bell to ring.

_Nagihiko, please help me!_

_

* * *

_

Nagihiko finished washing the dishes at their cooking station and placed his apron on one of the hooks in the back of the room. Even though his heart was probably happy to take a rest from being in Rima's presence, cooking just wasn't as fun by himself.

_I hope Rima's doing okay…_

She had been acting strangely since she had walked in the door in the first place so maybe she really wasn't feeling well. He hoped it wasn't anything he did. _Maybe she didn't like me touching her hand like that. I was just trying to help._

He gathered his things and waited for the bell to ring. Part of him wanted to go check on her in the infirmary, but what if she thought he was stalking her or something? They'd finally gotten on good terms, and he didn't want to do anything that would make her think of him as a creep or anything like that again.

The bell finally rang and he sighed as he exited the classroom. Maybe he should ask Ikuto what he's supposed to do at this point. Now that they were friends, was he supposed to do something different to get her to see him as more than that?

Nagihiko was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by a hand grabbing his arm and pulling him.

"Nagihiko!"

He looked up to see Amu staring back at him looking rather frantic.

"Amu? Is something wrong?"

"I need your help."

"Okay. But we've both got to get to class. Wanna talk at lunch?"

"No. Ikuto will be with you then."

Nagihiko raised an eyebrow. _Huh?_ He saw her blush as she spoke his best friend's name.

"Amu—"

"Look," she interrupted him, "I won't act dumb if you don't. I know you know or saw something last night."

The image of Amu and Ikuto's heads uncomfortably close together in the front row of the movie theater flashed in front of him. He smirked.

"Oh, you mean when you guys ki—"

"Yes. That. And we didn't actually…you know." She blushed again.

"You didn't?! Then what the heck were you doing? Inspecting each other's faces?"

Amu looked a little taken aback at his sarcasm, but she went on to explain what actually happened.

"So wait, you _almost_ kissed, but you didn't actually kiss because that lady screamed? Wow, I just thought I had only seen the end of it."

"Right. Anyway," Amu moved on, "I know you didn't tell Rima about it because she didn't say anything to me this morning, and I have to ask why."

_Shit._

She was right. He hadn't told Rima. But he couldn't tell Amu that he and Rima were working together to get her and Ikuto together. And that the reason he didn't tell Rima about it was because if she thought Amu and Ikuto were already together, she might not feel the need to be friends with him anymore. And that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

"Ah..well…I…uh…wanted to confirm it with Ikuto before I told her is all."

Amu raised an eyebrow at him. "And what? You didn't ask him yet?"

"Well, when we got into the car last night, he seemed a little upset and out of it, which I actually hadn't thought about until just now…but anyway, it didn't seem like the right time."

He hoped she was buying all this. Though Ikuto really had looked upset last night after the movie. He noticed Amu blush again. _Hmm…I wonder if something else happened…_

"Well," Amu started, "I appreciate you not telling Rima and I'd like you to keep it a secret."

Nagihiko let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, well what did you need my help with, Amu?"

"Well, I…I…" She looked directly into his eyes. "I like Ikuto!"

* * *

Amu immediately slapped her hand over her mouth and blushed. _I can't believe I just practically yelled that like that!_

"Sorry," she said, "That's the first time I've said it out loud, or to anyone. I…I just figured you might be able to help me."

He looked at her with a confused look. "Wait...I don't understand what you need help with. You said he almost kissed you right? And not like the time you guys almost kissed in the eatery when I met you guys for lunch, but like legitimately almost kissed you. I think that's a pretty big sign it's mutual don't you?"

Amu blushed profusely. _He noticed that we almost kissed that one time too?!_

"Well I thought the same thing at first, but what if it was me who unknowingly initiated the kiss and he just went with it you know? And he only held my hand to keep me from covering my face during the movie! And—"

"Wait. You guys held hands too?!" Nagihiko pressed his hand against his forehead and shook his head. "Amu, friends don't do those kinds of things."

"Well I thought that too! And then this morning…" She told him the whole story about Ikuto agreeing to help her with Tadase in the first place and how he was still trying to help her get with Tadase.

"Do you see what I mean now? He keeps sending mixed signals. I have no idea what he really feels at all!"

"I think you're both idiots."

Amu's eyes widened at that. Since when was Nagihiko so cruel? What happened to the nice, shy boy she met at the eatery and the one who stood in the movie line with them yesterday?

"What?!" She asked.

"Amu, honestly, I haven't talked to Ikuto about it at all, so I don't actually know how he feels, but I can tell you that he doesn't just hold a girl's hand because he feels like it."

"So…what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I think you should just confess, _but_ if you don't feel comfortable about it, you just have to ascertain how he feels about you first."

"Okay, so how do I do that?"

"Simple. Make him jealous."

"What? Jealous? How?"

It wasn't like she had guy friends just lying around to ask to pretend to flirt with her in front of Ikuto. And she didn't know anyone in their gym class other than him…

"Well, he says he wants you to talk to Tadase right? So do it."

"Eh?! Tadase? I can't talk to Tadase!"

"Why not? You couldn't before because you liked him right. But now you don't. So just make friends with him. I'm not saying you have to date him. Even if you just talk about him in front of Ikuto, it'll have an effect."

Amu's blush deepened.

"Wait, is he even going to get jealous if I'm just friends with Tadase? Why would he be jealous of that?"

"Trust me, Amu. If he likes you, he'll get jealous if you talk to any other guys more often than usual. Especially if he thinks you actually like Tadase."

_I guess that does make sense…_

"Well the late bell is about to ring so I gotta run to class. Let me know how it goes!" He smiled and sped up his pace.

"Wait! How do I know if he's jealous??"

Nagihiko turned his head and smiled again. "I think you'll know. But if you need to, just think of how you would feel and act if you saw him talking to some other girl and use that as reference. Later, Amu!"

She watched him turn back around and jog toward his class.

_Make him jealous hmm…_

She pictured him flirting with those girls in their gym class, grabbing their chins and pushing their mouths closed and holding their hands in the hallway. She felt her hands clench at her sides as a mixture of anger, anxiety, and sadness overtook her.

_That bastard! _

If she could make him feel even a little bit of what she was feeling now, she'd be happy. Because not only would that mean that he might like her, it would also be payback for being such an asshole this morning.

_This might be fun…_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: LOL! I love how my short add-on turned into an even longer, actual chapter compared to the last one. That's so like me. Anyway, I wasn't originally going to write any scenes in the nurse's office, but I realized that both girls were heading there so it would be fun to have a little scene there. And Amu's talk with Nagihiko was going to be the beginning of the next chapter, but this way I can spend more time on Tadase and Amu in the next chapter than I was originally going to. (I know…you're all **_**so**_** excited to read a Tadamu moment. Haha). **

**And Look forward to another chapter in the near (Yes NEAR!) future! :D**

**Perhaps I'll give the reviewers a sneak peak….mwuahahaha! (Jk I love you all! But some a bit more haha!)**


	19. Group Project!

**A/N: OMG! I'm absolutely in SHOCK at the amount of new readers/reviewers that I got last chapter! ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED! I LOVE YOU GUYS! I was in a good mood the whole week! Well…until I watched the final Shugo Chara episode on Friday…(*eyebrow twitches*) But let's not talk about disappointing, unpleasant things like that! :D.**

**So even though I said there was gonna be Tadamu in this chapter, it might not get to that point since I didn't have nearly as much time to write this weekend as I planned. So I'm writing this now in hopes to at least get out some semblance of a chapter for you guys to read for this week!**

**And since there's soooo many reviews, I'm going to do the first half at the beginning here and the second half in the ending A/N. That way there's not like 2 pages worth of non-story before the actual story!**

**Riri-tan: **Thanks for reviewing! I totally appreciate your scene suggestion, but I can't do that because I can't have Amu figure it out yet! I don't want to give anything away so that's all I'm going to say for now, but I hope you're not mad!

**Mika and M.Z.: **Well luckily you shouldn't have to puke in this chapter since there's no real Tadamu moments! And next chapter will at least be intermingled with Amuto so hopefully you can stand it! Glad you loved the chapter though! :D

**Bluepanda: **I know! No one wants a Tadamu moment, but it must happen! I don't hate him either, but I totally agree that he is not for Amu! And don't worry, the Rimahiko will continue again soon! It will go back to them after the next chapter!

**Rimahikoxamuto: **You didn't give me much to respond to but thanks for reviewing!

**AMUTOforever: **LOL! Well thank you! You're equally cool for reviewing! :D

**AhYing: **I'm excited to write a jealous Ikuto! And I do know that the story is kinda slow, but I've purposely written it that way. Part of the reason is because I'm trying to give an in-depth view of both couples and not focus on one so it's like telling two stories in one almost. And the other reason is because I think it's harder to believe someone can fall in love in such a short time without giving a detailed account of how the relationship builds. It should get a little faster after this chapter, but I still have to handle both couples so I still wouldn't call it "fast". Hopefully it doesn't deter you from reading and thanks for the review!

**Back Away Slowly Then Run: **LOL! I couldn't think of anything else at the time so that's why I used "face inspection" as Nagi's joke. I was also excited for this past Friday…until I watched the episode. I almost cried I was so disappointed.

**Dittoeevee: **Yeah I know what you mean about the nurse. I just didn't want to spend too much time explaining that scene since it wasn't originally going to be in there. Sorry!

**Foxgrl18: **I try and update as quickly as I can, but school is so time-consuming _! Thanks for reviewing!

**Red:** LOL! I miss you by the way! Yay for FF friends! And I seriously considered having Nagi visit the nurse's office at first because I feel like that's what his character would want to do, but in the end I figured he wouldn't actually skip class for it and he wouldn't want to freak her out!

**Phew! And that's only half! The rest of you will be at the end! And now onto the story!**

**

* * *

**

Amu trudged into History class with a defeated attitude. She had spent the entirety of math class and lunch trying to figure out how in the world she was supposed to initiate a conversation with Tadase. And she had eaten lunch alone since Rima hadn't shown up at all.

_I wonder if she's still in the nurse's office…_

If Rima really did have a virus, Amu didn't want to be near her anyway. The last thing she needed right now was to be sick and have her thoughts even more clouded than they already were. She probably just needed to make it through these next two classes and get home where she could rest and think quietly.

Just after she sat down in her seat in the back row, Rima walked in and sat down next to her.

"Rima, where the hell were you for lunch today?" Amu asked trying to feign ignorance.

"I was in the nurse's office. I wasn't feeling too well this morning."

"Oh…well…is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Whatever that nurse gave me worked. I don't know what was wrong with me. I hope it's gone for good now."

"Oh good. How fortunate that you were able to miss math class for that."

"Shut up, Amu. I didn't do it on purpose!"

Their conversation ended there since the teacher walked in. Apparently, they were going to start discussing World War II today. Halfway through the class, the teacher announced that they were going to have a group project where each group was assigned to research one of the major countries involved in the war and present to the class.

"And your groups," the teacher stated, "will be everyone in your row."

_Eh?_

Amu, who had the end window seat in her row, looked to her right. _Hmm…Rima…Kukai…and Tadase…_

_Oh my god—Tadase!!!_

Her face flushed in embarrassment and she quickly returned her gaze to the window. Here she had spent practically the entire day trying to figure out how to talk to Tadase and now she was being thrown into a group with him. What was she supposed to do now? Was she supposed to flirt? Act normal?

_Gah! Calm down, Amu! You're freaking out for no reason._

"Are you done yet?"

Amu looked back at her best friend who was staring at her with an expression of disgust.

"I can't even believe he's in our group," Rima scowled.

"Alright class," the teacher said, "get together with your groups now and I'll assign the countries."

The classroom was filled with noise as people began shuffling around, moving desks, and talking with their group members. Amu did her best to compose herself. _This is your chance, Amu. You just gotta be friends with him. Act normal!_

"Yo! Hinamori! Mashiro! Over here!"

Amu looked over to see Kukai waving them to the back corner where he and Tadase sat. She followed a disgruntled Rima as they made their way over toward them. Rima was definitely mumbling something to herself but Amu couldn't understand what it was.

"Hey guys! Ready to rock this presentation?" Kukai said, flashing them a smile.

"Uhh yeah!" Amu laughed nervously as Rima simply stared at him as if she didn't think he was worth responding to.

"I hope we get a good country," Tadase commented smiling at them as well.

Amu fought back a small blush as she smiled back. He was still cute after all. But Nagihiko had been right. She was much less nervous than she would've been last week. She let out a small sigh of relief as the knots in her stomach gradually uncoiled.

They were assigned to the United States. The teacher informed them that they would all be presenting the following week, and although they would be given some class time to work on it, they would need to do outside work to be successful.

_Oh great._

She wasn't necessarily a bad student, but she didn't like to put in more work than she absolutely had to in order to get a decent grade.

"You guys have the rest of the class to talk about how you want to divide the work between you," the teacher informed them.

"Okay so how do you guys wanna do this?" Kukai asked.

"Well why don't we each focus on the U.S.'s involvement/events with each of the other main countries?" Tadase suggested.

"That's not bad," Rima finally chimed in, "but there's six main countries isn't there? Three for both the Axis and Allied powers?"

_Wow, everyone seems to know what they're doing…_

Amu wasn't sure how to contribute to the conversation. History wasn't exactly her worst subject, but she had no idea how they should split up the workload. _Let's see…how can we split up 6 countries?_

"Well why don't we split up into two groups, one for the Allied powers and one for the Axis powers?" She asked.

"Oh, good idea, Hinamori," Kukai said giving her a thumbs up. "Well, I know the most about Japan so I'm gonna be on the Axis team!"

"Don't you think we all know the most about Japan?" Rima asked, giving him a deadpanned glare.

"I don't mind being on the Alliance team," Tadase added.

_Oh! Here's my chance!_

She had just assumed that Kukai and Tadase would want to work together and that she would work with Rima, but if they were okay being separated, she might as well not waste this opportunity!

"Yeah, I'll do the Alliance side too!" Amu shouted enthusiastically.

Rima shot her a nasty glare. _Woah…_

"No, Amu. I'd rather do the Alliance if that's okay with you," she said, smiling sweetly.

She knew what Rima was doing. Rima hated the idea of her liking Tadase. _If she only knew I was really doing this for Ikuto…_ But she still wasn't ready to tell her that. And she was not going to miss this chance to make him jealous! She had to think of something quick.

"But Rima, you know how I get when I have to read or watch something about the Holocaust! I can't handle it. There's no way I'll be able to help Kukai with the Axis powers."

She flashed Rima a sweet smile of her own and had to fight back a laugh as she watched her best friend's eyebrow start to twitch.

* * *

Rima was boiling on the inside. After all the hard work she'd put in at the movie theater trying to give Amu and Ikuto some alone time, she was being rewarded with this?! She was not letting Amu be alone with Tadase. And she didn't even want to think about working with that idiot Kukai for an entire week.

_Grr…why can't Nagihiko be in this class?_

Rima blinked, surprised at her own thoughts. A week ago, she would never have even imagined herself thinking that. And now she was wishing he was in their class? Then again, they were friends now. _Right?_ And it's normal for friends to want to be in the same class isn't it?

Realizing she was getting distracted, she shook the thoughts from her head and returned to the situation at hand. She opened her mouth to protest Amu but was quickly stopped by an arm around her neck.

"Looks like it's me and you then Mashiro!"

Rima's eyes finally focused to see that her neck rested in the crook of Kukai's elbow and he was holding his hand out for a high-five. _Wait…what? WHAT?!_ She quickly wriggled out of his grasp.

"Don't touch me." She glared at him.

"So Amu, do you want to go to the library after school today to get started on the research?" She heard Tadase ask.

"Uh yeah, sure, why not?"

_Wait just a minute! We weren't done arguing about the teams! How did I get stuck with Kukai!_

Had she really been thinking about Nagihiko that long? She felt her cheeks flush slightly at the thought of it. _Why won't that bastard get out of my head?! It's his fault this is happening!_

"We're going too, Kukai. To the library."

"Eh? I can't today. I have soccer practice."

"What?! What's more important, school or soccer?!"

"Calm down, Mashiro. It's only the first day. We have a whole week. I'll talk to coach and take a few days off this week for us to work on it."

Rima could feel her eyebrow twitching and her fists clenching at her sides. _This can't be happening. I just know this isn't happening right now._

_

* * *

_

Once the last school bell rang, Rima practically sprinted out of her final class.

"Wait, Rima!" She heard Amu yell. "Where are you rushing off to?"

_Crap._

"I'm going to the bathroom, Amu."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Yeah. You don't need to wait for me. You're going to the library aren't you?"

_Ugh. Maybe I shouldn't even have reminded her!_

"Yeah. Okay. See you later, Rima."

"Later."

Without another word, she turned around and hurried down the hallway.

_I have to find him! But I have no idea where his locker is!_

She slowed to a walk. She didn't know why she was running in the first place. It's not like he was running to his locker so she probably wouldn't be able to see him right now anyway. She looked around and noticed she was approaching the cooking hallway. Her stomach churned a bit and that now familiar feeling of anxiety hit her.

_What the heck? Go away stomach virus!_

She decided to turn around and head back the way she came. There weren't any lockers in that hall anyway. She blushed as she thought about that morning. She still felt bad for leaving so suddenly. _I hope he was able to finish the meal okay._ She would have to apologize to him tomorrow. But right now, she had a bigger concern on her plate.

_God Damnit! Where is he?!_

She turned down the next hallway and was relieved to see the person she'd been looking for.

"Ikuto!" She called out, running toward him.

He looked surprised to see her as he shut his locker and turned to face her.

"Rima?"

_I guess this is kind of weird considering we've only ever talked in line at the movies…_

But she couldn't let that discourage her. This concerned him too!

"Hey I was wondering if you could help me with a research project."

"Umm…okay? What do you want my help with?"

"Can you help me find something in the library?"

* * *

**A/N: Okay so it's not the best or most exciting chapter I've ever written. I'm aware of this. But it's midnight and I don't have time to get to the library scene and I wanted you guys to have something to read! I'm trying to post more often (like once a week) now so you guys don't have to wait so long and so I can get this story rolling. I promise lots of awkward jealousy moments in the next chapter! And from both parties! It's gonna be great! :D**

**Thanks again to everyone who continues to read this story! Despite what it seems, we're like two-thirds of the way done! It all gets good and stays good from here on out! (Hopefully anyway).**

**And Stray Dreamer posted a new story (not a one-shot this time!) so you should totally go read it and tell her how awesome she is! **

**And now to the rest of the reviews:**

**Tohru-Rikugou: **Thanks so much for reviewing! I can't wait to see Ikuto jealous either! I'm excited to write it cause I've never done it before! :D

**Juleskat: **LOL! Yeah, I like to think of Nagi as the most responsible/intelligent one. He knows everything and helps his friends, yet he can't deal with his own relationship problems. I like him that way :D

**Xhappilyrandomx: **So many people are looking forward to a jealous Ikuto! I'm so glad! Because that means you'll be able to bare the Tadamu moments, right?! God I hope so!

**GakuenAliceGRL: **I know! Nagi is so awesome! I donno if you read my comment to Juleskat but he's like the guy who knows everything but feels insecure about his own problems! Thanks for reviewing!

**X3splooshx: **LOL! I'm glad somebody commented on that line! It seems kinda outta character for Nagi to say that, but at the same time, I feel like that's what he'd really think! Cause let's face it, they ARE both dumb!

**Kotobuki Kai: **Thanks so much! I'm glad you like the moments between both couples! There aren't many stories out there that really get into both sides so I wanted to write one cause I couldn't choose between them myself! Thanks so much for reviewing! :D

**Stray Dreamer: **BFFFF!!! (Best Fan-Fiction Friend Forever?) Just looking at all those F's hurts my head! Anyways, I'm glad you liked the beginning! Especially since I wasn't going to include it at first but now I'm happy I did! LOL your dad checking on you since you were laughing! Oh General, you'll never understand! ;)

**Mizumi-chan: **Thanks so much! I'm glad you're already submitting yourself to being my review slave :D. HAHA jk! I certainly won't be angry with you if you don't review every time, but I will definitely appreciate it every time you do! Thanks for reviewing!

**Alix Lewis: **Thanks! I'm glad you love the plot! It should only get better at this point and feel free to let me know if I ever fail at keeping the plot good LOL! (Aside from Tadamu moments of course since I can't help that!) Thanks for reviewing!

**Katime:P: **Thanks! Love all the hearts by the way! I will hopefully try and update every week now so you shouldn't have to wait too long to read from now on! Thanks for reviewing!

**WOW! I feel like people are gonna be disappointed when they see the word count for this chapter and realize that half of it is just review responses! But I still love you all and thanks so much!**


	20. Jealousy is Not the Best Policy

**A/N: I'm back! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! I basically have been super busy with school due to some "surprise" assignments that my professors like to toss on us. And I also changed the plot of the story to make us get to the good stuff faster! I pretty much cut the remaining chapters in half. Detail has been sacrificed for acceleration purposes! Though I'm sure you'll all be happy with this result! :D**

**Because of that fact, this chapter was not as "fun" as originally planned. I mean, I loved writing it, but it doesn't have the fun, jealousy atmosphere. But, like I said, I think you guys will like it a lot!**

**And due to the lack of time (seeing as how I have an exam in the morning that I need to be studying for), I will unfortunately not be putting review responses in this chapter. I feel really bad, but it takes me a long time because I like to send a unique response to each and every one of you! I hope no one gets angry! I'm sorry! Know that I love you all and I hope you continue to review despite my meanness! Thanks again guys!**

**And enjoy!**

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* * *

**Ikuto walked down the hallway, aimlessly following behind Rima.

_What does she need me for, anyway?_

He'd much rather be at home right now. Or out somewhere by himself. He could use a nice jog or something. Anything that would help him clear his head. He hadn't seen Amu since she had stormed out of the gym that morning.

"_I don't care about Tadase!"_

What did she even mean by that? He wanted it to mean exactly what it sounded like. That she didn't have any more feelings for Tadase. For an instant, he saw the image of her blushing face staring back into his as she pulled him towards her. He shook his head to rid himself of the scene, but he couldn't stop his own cheeks from heating up.

_If she really had feelings for me, she wouldn't have tossed my hand away._

For what seemed like the thousandth time since then, he replayed the scene of them exiting the theater. Her hand had felt so warm. And even now, no matter how much he continued to convince himself that she only had feelings for Tadase, he couldn't completely dismiss the hopeful feeling he'd been carrying around since she'd said that this morning.

_What if she really doesn't like Tadase anymore?_

And if she didn't like Tadase, it was entirely possible that she did like _him._ His blush deepened. That hopeful feeling kicked in ten-fold this time. Why else would she all the sudden not care about Tadase? And if that were true, he could understand why she was so pissed at him for talking about it.

_That's gotta be it._

He knew he shouldn't believe that things would work out between them, but there had to be a reason that she was constantly occupying his thoughts all the sudden. He needed to apologize to her. To clear this whole thing up. He'd look for her before gym tomorrow and talk to her in private. He smiled as he resolved himself to this decision.

_Amu might like me…_

He couldn't stop the thought now. For the first time in a year, something good was finally happening in his life.

"Hmm…where are they?" he heard Rima murmur in front of him.

Ikuto looked up to see that they had entered the library. Rima walked past the front desk and took a left hand turn into the stacks. He raised an eyebrow.

_What is she doing?_

He turned the corner to follow her and stopped in his tracks. He could hear laughter all the sudden. And from a voice he knew.

"Tadase, look at this picture of Stalin. Isn't that mustache ridiculous?!"

He felt his stomach drop as the realization hit him. Amu was here. With Tadase. He reached a hand up to his forehead. He was starting to feel dizzy.

"He does look a little ridiculous," Tadase laughed. "Look at this one of Churchill."

Amu laughed again, "Roosevelt is even funnier. They all look so weird!"

Ikuto found himself wishing he was deaf as he heard the two of them laughing together. He immediately turned down an aisle between the book stacks to his right. His head was spinning as he leaned against one of the shelves for support. He tried to process what was happening.

_I thought she never talked to him. What's going on?_

He heard her laugh again and his hand squeezed tightly onto the shelf he'd been holding onto. He had to resist the urge to punch the books in front of him when he heard Tadase's voice again.

"Hey, Amu. Why don't we go to the History Museum tomorrow after school since it's so close to here. We could ask Rima and Kukai too."

Ikuto heard silence from Amu's end at first. _Please don't go._

"Uhh…yeah, sure. Why not? I guess that's like doing research while having fun at the same time, right?"

"Yeah!"

He could practically feel them smiling at each other. He grimaced in disgust. In the back of his mind, he started to wonder where Rima was, but when he looked up, he realized he could see the top of her blonde hair in the row of stacks ahead of him. He walked around the corner to enter the aisle she was in. He watched as she stood up on the tips of her toes to see through the stacks at the open study area beyond.

He, too, looked through the stacks to see what she was looking at and immediately wished he hadn't. Amu and Tadase were sitting at a table, laughing and talking together as they flipped through the pages of some textbook.

"Rima," he started. He heard her gasp as she froze next to him, startled by his voice. "I'm leaving."

He couldn't watch this anymore. He turned and walked past her down the stacks toward the entrance.

"Wait…" Rima mumbled. "Wait! Ikuto!"

He felt a hand grab his arm as the nearby laughter ceased. He came to a stop and turned around to face Rima. He was afraid to look at her, unsure of what expression his face held.

"I'm sorry," she started, "I—"

"Ikuto?"

Ikuto cringed at the sound of Amu's voice behind him. She was the last person he wanted to see him right now. He didn't want anyone to see this side of him. Especially not her.

"Rima?" Amu continued to ask. "What are you guys doing here?"

* * *

Amu had no idea what was going on. She had been sitting down researching with Tadase when she suddenly heard Rima's voice calling out for Ikuto. She'd been so startled that she'd gotten up, almost on autopilot, and walked towards the voice.

And now here she was, looking at Ikuto's back between the book stacks. And behind him was Rima, and she was blushing.

_What the hell was going on here? _

Ikuto wasn't turning around and Rima wasn't saying anything either. Her blush just deepened the more Amu stared at her. Had she just…interrupted something? Her heart started to race, and not in a good way.

_Did Rima just confess to him or something?_

Her heart practically stopped at the thought. But she couldn't help it. All she could feel in the air was that her presence was not wanted. She saw Ikuto start to turn around, but she immediately looked away, not wanting him to see her now watery eyes. Before he finished turning, she turned completely around.

"Ah…sorry," she managed to blurt out as she hastened out of the aisle and walked past the front desk towards the restroom. She kept her head down so no one could see her face. As she passed a second set of stacks, she ran smack into someone who had just come out from one of the aisles.

"Amu?"

She looked up instinctively to see Nagihiko staring back at her. His facial expression went from surprised to worried in seconds.

"Amu, is everything okay?"

She just continued to stare at him, eyes welling up with tears. Not able to bear it anymore, she leaned forward, wrapped her arms around him, and dug her face into his chest.

"Uhh…Amu?"

She started crying and couldn't stop herself to even respond to him.

_Damnit, Damnit, Damnit! _

Did Rima really like Ikuto? There was no way. How was that even possible? They'd never even met before yesterday right? But then again, Rima almost never blushed like that. Ever. And it was so awkward just then. It had to have been a confession.

Amu suddenly felt a hand on her back, gently patting her. Her eyes widened slightly.

_If Rima likes Ikuto…what about Nagihiko?!_

He'd been working so hard to get Rima's attention and he was such a nice guy. There was no way she could tell him what was going on. He'd be devastated.

* * *

Rima watched as Amu took off in the other direction.

_What the hell?_

She'd been about to apologize to Ikuto for dragging him here under false pretenses, but it was embarrassing to explain to him that she had simply brought him here in hopes of distracting Amu from Tadase. It wasn't supposed to be a big deal.

But the look on Ikuto's face when he had turned to face her had sent chills through her entire body. Like he'd just lost a member of his family or something. Before she had been able to say anything, Amu had showed up, and Rima had to keep quiet.

_She'd just be pissed at me if she knew I was trying to get between her and Tadase._

That's what she had thought at the time, but Ikuto's clenched hands and dark expression had not gone unnoticed by her. He hadn't said a word, nor did he turn around to tease Amu like she would have expected. And the way Amu's own expression changed before she turned to walk away was not something Rima was used to seeing.

_Did something happen between those two?_

Regardless, she was still standing here in front of Ikuto, who was avoiding her gaze. She still needed to apologize.

"Ikuto, I'm—"

"I'm sorry, Rima," he interrupted her. "You'll have to find someone else to help you. I'm not feeling well."

And without another word, he turned and disappeared from her sight. She stood there, flabbergasted. What in the world was wrong with those two? She had no way of knowing what Ikuto was thinking, but her best friend was by herself somewhere. Upset. Even though Rima didn't know what happened, she couldn't leave Amu to sulk by herself.

She looked over through the stacks again to see that Tadase was still sitting by himself, looking a bit confused. Feeling responsible for some reason, she decided to inform him that Amu was not feeling well all the sudden and was going to the nurse.

"Oh, okay. Well tell her I hope she feels better and I'll see you guys tomorrow in class."

"I will."

"Oh, and Rima. Amu and I thought we should all go the History Museum tomorrow after school since it's nearby. Can you come?"

"Yeah, sure. See you then."

Not wanting to prolong the conversation anymore, she turned and headed back toward the library entrance. She didn't really like museums, but anything was better than being stuck alone with Kukai to research alone. And this way she could keep an eye on Amu and Tadase. Either way, she had bigger things on her mind at the moment.

_Where did Amu go?_ _The bathroom maybe?_

She figured it couldn't hurt to check real quick before trying Amu on her cell phone. As she neared the bathroom, she heard sobbing sounds. Picking up her pace, she hurried around the last stack of books and immediately came to a halt.

Her eyes widened as her arms fell limp against her sides.

_Nagihiko?_

There in front of her was her best friend with her arms wrapped around Nagihiko as she stared up into his face. Rima's stomach felt like it had lodged itself in some awkward place inside her. It was uncomfortable. She didn't like it.

She was angry. And sad at the same time. What was happening to her? This virus had just taken a turn for the worse. And it kept happening around _him._

Nagihiko's eyes finally turned towards her and they widened instantly.

"Rima?"

Amu looked over as well, and Rima noticed a tear streaming down her cheek.

But she didn't care. Too many emotions were jumbling inside her all at once. She needed to get out of there. So she turned. And ran. She ignored the cries of her friends behind her and just continued to run. Out of the library. Out of the school.

_What's wrong with me?_

She kept running. Why was she feeling this way? Why'd she just take off like that? So what if Amu and Nagihiko met up in the back of the library to do…whatever it was they were doing. *Anger*

_Grr…stop it! Stop it, stop it! I'm not angry!_

Why did it matter if Amu liked Nagihiko? It meant she'd finally gotten over Tadase. Now Rima didn't have to worry about Amu's failed love life anymore. *Hurt*

_I said stop it!_

She wasn't hurt. She hadn't run into anything or been hit by anybody. This virus was even making her body confuse emotions! She was happy. Happy for her best friend for finding someone. *Sadness*

_What?_

Her legs came to a stop. She keeled over. Out of breath. But her mind didn't even register that. All she could do was stare in disbelief as she watched the teardrops hit the pavement beneath her.

* * *

Nagihiko pushed Amu away from him and tried to run after Rima. But he was stopped by a hand grabbing hold of his wrist.

"It's pointless to run after her."

His eyebrows furrowed as he turned to face her.

"What?"

He stared as a sullen Amu dropped to her knees on the floor in front of him. Her grip on his wrist tightened.

"Amu, I'm going after her. Let go."

This was ridiculous. Had she not just seen Rima? His heart had practically broken at the sight of her looking so surprised. He knew what him comforting Amu had looked like.

"She…likes someone else."

His eyes widened at Amu's words. She broke out into sobs again and let go of his wrist. He just let it fall to his side as he stared at her. It felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach.

"What are you talking about, Amu?"

He didn't want to know the answer. But he couldn't just leave without an explanation.

"It's Ikuto!" She said, evoking a new burst of sobs.

To say he was shocked would be an understatement.

"What the hell? Amu, that makes no sense."

"I saw it! She confessed to him! Just a few minutes ago between the stacks on the other side."

_There's no way…_

There was absolutely _no_ way that the same Rima, who had devoted her free time to trying to get Amu and Ikuto together, could possibly like that very same person. Amu had to have heard wrong.

"What did you hear? What did she say exactly?"

"Well...I didn't actually hear it, but when I walked around the corner to greet them, they were both just standing there, silent, ignoring my presence. And Rima was blushing. It was so awkward and I felt so unwanted that it couldn't have been anything else. That's…that's why I'm so upset. My best friend likes the same guy."

That did it. He was just angry now.

"Amu. This is getting ridiculous. Does the thought of Rima liking Ikuto make any sense to you? I don't know what happened there, but if you didn't even hear anything, I'm sure it wasn't a confession."

"Well, it did seem a bit odd that she would like him after just one day—"

"Exactly. And even if she had confessed, do your own feelings not matter at all to you? Were you just going to give up?"

"What? Well, yeah. I mean, Rima deserves to be happy."

"What if he didn't return her feelings, then what? Would you just ignore your feelings just to keep Rima happy?"

This could not continue. He was so tired of dealing with all this misunderstandings.

"Of course! Rima is my best friend!"

"Then I disapprove."

"What?"

She had stopped crying now and was just staring up at him blankly.

"I disapprove of you. You don't deserve Ikuto if your feelings are so weak that you just toss them aside at the slightest hint of competition. As his best friend, I disapprove."

She jumped to her feet. She sounded angry. _Good._

"Hey! You have no right to say that! My feelings are not weak! I've never liked _anybody_ as much as I like Ikuto!"

He smiled at her.

"Then do something about it."

"What am I supposed to do?!"

"Just tell him."

"What? I…I can't."

"Why not?"

"But Rima—"

"Stop it. This is not about Rima right now. Do you really want to give up without even telling him how you feel? If you're always doing stuff for other people, you'll never have anything for yourself."

He watched her hands clench at her sides as she stared at the ground.

"How could you of all people say that? Don't you want Rima to be happy?"

* * *

Amu was feeling so many emotions all at once. How could he just ignore Rima's feelings like that? She finally looked up at him and all those emotions faded away. He was staring back at her with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen.

"Yes. I do want her to be happy. But _I_ want to be the one who makes her happy. _I _want to be the reason she's smiling."

She just continued to stare at him.

"Nagihiko…"

"I'm in love with her, Amu."

Amu's jaw dropped.

"What?!"

She expected some sort of explanation but he just smiled back at her. She had known he liked her a lot, but _love?_

"I'm not going to let go of Rima for anyone. Not without her hearing me out first."

He turned around to head toward the entrance.

"Wait, Nagihiko! What are you going to do?"

He looked back over his shoulder at her.

"Isn't that obvious?"

* * *

**A/N: YAY! Wow I actually wrote a long chapter for once! Woo! And it was exciting! At least I hope it came across that way! Like I said before, I know this chapter was a little bit on the serious side, but now we're finally getting to the good stuff. **

**And the next chapter is the one all the Rimahiko fans have been waiting for! WOO!!!**

**Sorry again for the lack of review responses. I really do feel terrible, especially for any new reviewers who were hoping for one (which might not be anyone). I promise they'll be there on the next one!**

**Til next time! (Probably another two weeks, sorry guys!!)**


	21. Friendship or Love?

**A/N: Yay! The time has finally come! My life has been extremely hectic and stressful over the past however many weeks since I last wrote. But there's only three weeks left til college is over for the semester and I can focus on finishing this story for real! As someone pointed out in their review, The End is Near!**

**And since it's almost 1 a.m. here and I have class in the morning, I once again do not have time to write review responses. I'm really sorry! I feel like such a douche bag. If it wasn't for those reviews, I wouldn't be motivated to write to the best of my ability or even to write at all, so I really do appreciate everyone who does. And to all the readers as well. This story has over 100 favorites now and it makes me so happy! Thanks so much guys!**

**And here's this extremely long and lovely (maybe not the right word) chapter for you!**

**

* * *

**

As soon as he exited the library, Nagihiko's pace changed from a walk to a run. He needed to find Rima. Amu had wasted his time with her stupidity, making it harder for him to figure out where the petite blonde had run off to.

_Like Rima would ever like Ikuto…_

He remembered back to when Rima had pulled him up to separate seats in the movie theater. Despite how proud and stubborn she was, she had asked him for help in setting her best friend up with Ikuto. He remembered how earnestly she had looked at him, pleading for his help.

He ran faster. The sound of his shoes slapping against the tile floor echoed throughout the hallway. He kept his eyes peeled for her.

_Rima…_

He ran outside, his eyes sweeping the area. She was nowhere to be found. And he had no idea where she lived, and even if he did, that didn't mean she'd even run in that direction. He clenched his teeth in frustration.

He never wanted to see her make that face again. It was the first time he'd ever seen her with such a hurt expression. And he was responsible for it. Despite himself, his heart raced at the thought of what that meant. If it upset her to see him with Amu, didn't that mean she was…jealous? His face flushed.

Once he hit the street, his feet stopped. It was no use. There were too many options. Too many ways she could've gone. He bent over, placing his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. He took one last look around.

_Damnit._

He'd have to wait until he could talk to her at school tomorrow. He needed to say it.

* * *

Rima woke up the next morning and rolled onto her back. She stared at the spinning fan on her ceiling. The picture of Amu with her arms wrapped around Nagihiko flashed in her mind for the thousandth time since she'd made it home last night. She felt…terrible. There was no way she could go to school today.

Her mom had already left for work so it's not like she'd find out she didn't go. Besides, it's not like she was lying in saying she was sick. There was definitely something wrong with her. She'd never cried for no reason like that before. She didn't know what to think about yesterday.

_I just ran away like an idiot._

She'd acted like a child. And she couldn't show her face in front of Amu or Nagihiko right now because she had no explanation for them. If anything, it was those two that should've been embarrassed, not her.

And Amu. She was her best friend. The first real friend she'd ever had.

_~Flashback~_

_Rima sat alone on a secluded bench in the corner during recess in elementary school. Her arms were wrapped around her legs as she pressed her thighs into her chest. She'd just transferred into this school after her parents divorced and her mom took her and moved into the city._ _She was afraid. She didn't know anyone here._

"_What's wrong?"_

_Rima looked up to see a little girl with yellow eyes and short pink pigtails._ _The girl was looking at her curiously._

"_Your name is Rima, right?"_

"…_yes…" she managed to say._

"_I'm Amu! Come on, let's go build a sandcastle together!"_

_Before Rima could protest, fingers wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back toward the crowded playground._

_~End Flashback~_

Rima sat up in her bed. She reached for the blue picture frame on her bedside table. The corners of her lips curved upward. It was a photo from middle school. Amu had gotten her a ridiculous giant fluffy pink hat as a joke for her birthday and had forced her to wear it and take a picture with her. The photo certainly didn't show it, but Rima had been extremely happy to receive that gift from Amu. It had been the first year her dad had "forgotten" to send her a gift.

Amu was like that. She could always tell when she was in a bad mood or if something was wrong. And she always made it her job to make Rima laugh at those times. She ran her finger across the photograph.

_Amu..._

She just wanted her to be happy. She wanted to do something for Amu for once. That was why she'd tried so hard to set her up with Ikuto. Her sense about those two was clearly wrong, though. The picture of Amu and Nagihiko flashed in her mind again. Her fingers gripped the edges of the picture frame.

If Amu wanted to be with Nagihiko, then she was going to support her. She had no reason not to. Rima put the frame back on the table and got out of bed. She had promised Tadase she would meet them at the museum today. And she wanted to apologize to Amu for behaving the way she had.

She looked for her phone and sent Amu a text letting her know she was feeling better and would meet them at the museum after school.

* * *

Nagihiko roughly kneaded the pizza dough in his hands.

_I can't believe she didn't come to school today…_

He flipped the dough over and began kneading from the other side. He'd worked up so much courage to walk through that classroom door today only to find that Rima wasn't here. Ikuto had been a no-show this morning as well. It would be a lie to say part of him wasn't slightly relieved not to see Rima because he really didn't know how he was supposed to start the conversation with her.

"_Good morning, Rima. I love you!"_

"…_Don't be stupid."_

Surely she'd have said something like that if he'd just blurted it out like that. His cheeks reddened at the thought of saying the "L" word out loud. Sure, he'd said it easily in front of Amu the other day. But that was because he'd been so emotional then. He was angry, frustrated, worried, and hurt all at the same time. It had just come out.

Not that it was a lie or anything. He'd realized how much he cared for her after she'd almost gotten kidnapped that night. When she'd apologized to him for ruining his night, stuttering and blushing the whole way through, his heart felt like it had burst open and his feelings just flowed through his entire body. His blush deepened as he thought about it.

He'd almost been responsible for her getting kidnapped, yet she had apologized to him. She was so stubborn, but so cute at the same time. And she cared deeply for her close friends. Sure, she overflowed with sarcasm, but he loved that about her too. He couldn't help wanting to know everything about her, and at the same time he didn't want anyone else to know anything about her. He wanted to be the only one to see those expressions of hers.

And he had to tell her. It was all he could think about when he saw her now. But how could he tell her if she wasn't at school. He didn't think he could go another night without any sleep. He needed to tell her today. Which meant he'd have to ask Amu for help.

* * *

Amu sat in her last class for the day trying to control her thoughts. She'd been so relieved that Ikuto hadn't shown up that morning. She had practically sweat off ten pounds waiting in the locker room before gym even started because she'd been so nervous to talk to him.

Even though Nagihiko's words made sense, she couldn't shake the feeling that what she had seen was a confession. And if that was the case, there was no way she could continue to go after Ikuto. She had caught up to Nagihiko after school yesterday and was glad to hear he couldn't find Rima. His confession would just stress her out. Rima had been through too much. She deserved to be happy with Ikuto.

_~Flashback~_

_Amu rang the doorbell of the Mashiro household. In her hands was a box covered with orange wrapping paper that she'd spent a long time trying to wrap perfectly. Inside was a ridiculous pink hat that she knew would make Rima laugh. It was wrapped in orange since it was her favorite color._

"_Oh hello, Amu," Rima's mom said as she opened the door. "She's in her room. Go on up."_

_Amu scurried up the stairs excitedly and she knocked on her best friend's door. _

_No one answered. She knocked again._

"_Rima! It's me, Amu!"_

_After a few seconds, Amu got worried and opened the door. As the door swung open, she saw Rima across the room, staring out the window. She walked in and shut the door behind her. This wasn't good._

"_Rima? What happened?"_

_She noticed Rima was trembling slightly and Amu ran over to her. She spun her best friend around and her eyes widened as she saw Rima's red, blotchy, tear-filled face staring up at her. Rima lunged into her, wrapping her arms around Amu's back._

"…_Dad…," she said through sniffles, "forgot…my…birthday."_

_~End Flashback~_

Rima had such a difficult home life. Even her mom had pretended like nothing was wrong that day. Since then, Amu had done her best to make sure Rima was always happy or laughing. But lately, she'd been so caught up in her own life and feelings that she never really looked at Rima. She'd been excited to finally set her up with Nagihiko at the movies because she thought they'd make a good couple. She hadn't even paid attention to her meeting Ikuto. Maybe she had missed a sign there.

Regardless, if Ikuto was who Rima wanted, then Amu was going to seal her feelings for him away. Nagihiko didn't know what he was talking about.

Just then her phone vibrated in her pocket and she quietly slid it out and flipped it open. It was from Rima. She was going to meet them at the museum still.

_Good. Now I can apologize to her._

The bell rang signaling the end of school and Amu walked out of the classroom. She had to meet Tadase and Kukai out front so they could ride to the museum together.

"Amu!"

She turned to see Nagihiko running toward her. _Great…_

"What's wrong, Nagihiko?"

"Rima didn't come to school today."

"Yeah, she wasn't feeling well apparently."

"Oh, is she okay?"

"Yeah she's feeling better now. She's still meeting us at the history museum today. But I gotta go do that. I can't really talk now."

And with that she turned and left. She felt really bad for Nagihiko, but she couldn't give him her encouragement anymore.

* * *

Rima waited at the entrance of the museum. She saw Tadase drive past in his car and head toward the parking area. She was a little nervous about talking to Amu still. But she knew she had to suck it up and apologize.

She watched as Tadase, Kukai, and Amu got out of the car and walked toward her.

"Yo, Mashiro!"

Kukai waved enthusiastically at her as they approached. She fought a sneer. She forgot she'd have to spend most of the day with this guy.

"Hey Rima," Tadase joined in as they stopped in front of her.

She nodded to him and looked at Amu. She opened her mouth to say something, but as she did that, the picture of Amu and Nagihiko came again, and she froze. _Go away!_ She felt her cheeks heat up and closed her mouth. She couldn't do it right now.

* * *

Amu got nervous as they stopped in front of Rima. Both Kukai and Tadase had just greeted her. It was her turn now. She needed to talk to her and apologize. But when she looked at her, she saw a blush rise on Rima's cheeks and was immediately hit with the image of a blushing Rima facing Ikuto between the stacks of the library.

_Damnit, I don't want to see that right now!_

She willed it away and looked again only to see that Rima had turned around and was walking toward the door. She sighed. It was probably best that they didn't have a conversation in front of Tadase and Kukai anyway. They didn't need to be involved in this.

"Alright," Kukai said as they walked inside, "Mashiro and I are gonna head to the second floor where the Pearl Harbor exhibit is since Japan is our country!"

"Kukai, Japan is everyone's country," Rima responded coldly.

"Yeah, but we're the ones focusing on it for the project. You know what I mean, Mashiro."

"Stop calling me Mashiro!"

"Wait," Amu said, "If we're not going to look at the exhibits together, then why are Tadase and I even here. We got the Allied powers so we're not dealing with Japan at all."

"Good point," Tadase agreed.

"Well, you guys can still help us. We don't need all four of us at one exhibit though. We can just split it up. You guys can go to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki exhibits on the third floor and we'll meet back somewhere."

"I guess that works," Amu said.

* * *

Rima's sneered at Kukai's back as she followed him up the stairs to the second floor. The last thing Rima wanted was to be stuck with Kukai and only Kukai for the next hour. Yet here she was.

"Alright, let's start on this end," Kukai said eagerly as they reached the floor they wanted.

He was too enthusiastic. About everything really.

"Oooh, Mashiro. Look at this!"

Her eyebrow twitched. And if he kept calling her that, she was going to have to concentrate very hard to prevent herself from lashing out at him.

_Just concentrate, Rima. This is for school. Just think about that._

Saying that to herself worked for about ten minutes, and then she couldn't take it anymore.

"Kukai."

"What's up, Mashiro?"

Her eyebrow twitched for the hundredth time of hearing her last name come out of his mouth.

"I…need to go to the bathroom."

"Oh, sure thing, Mashiro. I'll wait here."

"Great." She feigned sweetness.

She turned and walked around the corner. She didn't have to use the bathroom at all. She just needed to get out of that room for a few minutes.

_Some fresh air might be good._

She walked down the steps and headed out the main entrance. She closed her eyes and sighed happily as she inhaled the outside air. It was too bad Amu wasn't here with her so she could apologize to her. She'd acted childish again when she couldn't apologize to her and just avoided the conversation.

"…Rima?"

Her eyes shot open and she gasped lightly as she saw Nagihiko standing not fifteen feet from her. He looked just as surprised to see her as she was him.

_What is he doing here?_

Her body seemed to know how she was supposed to react to him by now because she felt her cheeks heat up and her palms started to sweat. She wanted to run away from him. But she couldn't move. She couldn't stop staring at the increasing blush on _his_ cheeks. But his expression changed from one of surprise to one of determination.

"Wh…what are you doing here?" she managed to ask.

He didn't answer. His feet started moving toward her, but she was still frozen to her spot. Her stomach started to churn with a mixture of pleasant and unpleasant feelings. Part of her wanted to see him, but there was still a part of her that wanted to flee. She'd been so childish. What did he think of her? She had just run away without saying a word yesterday.

And it might not even have been his fault. Maybe Amu had confessed to him first. I mean he had agreed to help her with Amu and Ikuto. Maybe he hadn't known about Amu's feelings before yesterday. He was only a few feet away now, and she turned away from him. Why was this even bothering her? She'd been close to him several times before. Closer than a few feet for sure.

So why was her body trembling like this? Why couldn't she look at him? She felt his presence get closer and squeezed her eyes shut. She was acting stupid right now, but she couldn't stop herself. She was afraid to look at him up close.

_Keep your composure, Rima!_

Suddenly, she felt a warm hand grasp her own, and her eyes shot open again. She looked down to see Nagihiko's hand in hers, and her blush increased. She couldn't stop herself from looking up at him now. His expression was serious.

"Come with me."

Without waiting for a response, he turned around and pulled her behind him. Rima had no idea where he was taking her. Her stomach was in turmoil at this point. She didn't know what she was feeling. She was scared, nervous, sad, but she was also a little happy and excited.

_For what?_

She should let go. Stop him from taking her wherever they were going. She needed to tell him that she supported him and Amu's relationship. And she needed to give him that speech she'd always prepared to give one of Amu's boyfriends. The one where she'd beat him up if he ever hurt her.

But she couldn't. She couldn't let go of his hand. So she aimlessly followed him until they reached a nearby park. He pulled her over to a bench that was off to the side and secluded from the rest of the people in the park. It was in its own little clearing surrounded by cherry blossom trees.

He stopped at the bench and pushed her down so she sat on the bench.

"Nagihiko—"

"Shh. Let me talk," he said, "Remember?"

He smiled slightly causing her to blush again. That was exactly what she had said to him before apologizing to him outside the movie theater after he had saved her. Except now their positions were reversed.

_Does that mean he's apologizing to me? For what?_

"Rima," he started. He opened his mouth to continue but nothing came out at first. He blushed and looked away.

Rima's cheeks were on fire. And her heart was pounding in her chest.

_Was he this nervous when I apologized to him?_

He seemed to finally gather his thoughts and looked back at her.

"Rima."

Her body tensed as she stared back at him. Had her name always sounded that way when he said it? It sent chills through her.

"I…I have something that…that I have to say to…to you."

His cheeks flushed as he stuttered. She couldn't help thinking he was extremely cute at that moment.

"And maybe…maybe you don't want to…to hear it…but…but I'll never forgive myself if I…I don't say it."

_What is he trying to say?_

"Rima."

There it was again. Her name. But it was so much more than that. His voice was filled with an emotion she didn't recognize. One that made her breath catch. And before he continued, he reached down and took her hand back into his. Her skin tingled at the touch.

"When I first saw you a year ago, my…my heart skipped a beat. I was immediately drawn to you."

Rima's eyes widened and her stomach flip-flopped inside her body.

"After that day, I found myself always…always searching for you in the hallways at school. And even outside of school. I'd always see you with…with Amu, and you were always laughing."

Her heart was working overtime now. _He looked for me?_ Her blush deepened, but she continued to look into his eyes.

"Then, that day. That day you fell. I happened to be heading down the stairs as you were walking up. I...I saw that the one step looked a little wet, but…but I was so nervous just being next to you that I couldn't warn you in time. And when your foot slipped, I…all I could think about was how I didn't want you to get hurt. So I…I just grabbed hold of you. I know you forgave me already, but I just want you to know the last thing I wanted was to make you think I was a pervert."

He was looking at her earnestly now. And he seemed a little relieved too. Like it had been weighing him down for a long time. Rima was completely speechless. Was this what he wanted to tell her? She really had been such a bitch to him. And he was still apologizing to her for _saving_ her. That's how bad she had made him feel. She knew it was her turn to say something now. But when she opened her mouth, he put his free hand against her mouth to silence her.

"Not yet. I have to get this all out."

_He's not done?_

"I had been sure that I had ruined my chances with you then. But when you walked into the cooking classroom on the first day, I felt like I was being given another chance. But you were completely different than I thought you'd be. You were rude, and stubborn, and sarcastic."

Rima's cheeks reddened even more if that were possible, and she turned away.

"S..sorry—" she started.

"But," he cut her off, "instead of deterring me, all those things just made me like you more."

Rima could feel her heartbeat in her head now. It was so loud, she couldn't even think anymore.

"When you're mad, your right eyebrow twitches and it makes you look even cuter. No matter what you did, I just got more hooked on you."

_He knows which one of my eyebrows twitches?_

She couldn't even tell if she was still breathing. Nagihiko was…he was…confessing to her.

"And that night at the movie theater, when I thought you'd gotten kidnapped, I'd never felt so scared in my life. We had finally become friends, and I'd almost lost you. When you walked out of that bathroom, I realized I was given yet another chance to be with you. After screwing up the first two, I can't let another one pass by without telling you."

He squeezed her hand, and a new surge of tingles shot through her body.

"Rima…I…I…"

He looked straight into her eyes.

"I'm in love with you."

He slammed his eyes shut as he said this and he was squeezing her hand so tight. A million thoughts were running through her head at that moment. But one was sticking out. As she looked up at him from that secluded bench, the picture of a cute little girl with pink pigtails and yellow eyes flashed in front of her. She realized he was the first person since then to want her in his life. And she was so…happy.

"Nagihiko," she blushed.

He opened his eyes and stared back at her. His cheeks mirrored hers. There was a feeling coursing through her that she'd never felt before. But she didn't know how to put it into words.

But before she could say anything, her phone rang. Instinctively, she pulled it out and looked at it.

_Amu…_

Her eyes widened.

_Oh no! Amu! Amu likes Nagihiko! _

Amu, who had done so much for her. Who she promised just earlier that she would support. She was probably worried wondering where Rima was since she had just run off like that. She couldn't do this to her best friend.

"I'm sorry, Nagihiko! I have to go!"

Without waiting for a response, she dropped his hand and ran off. She sent Amu a quick text letting her know she hadn't felt well and had walked home. Tears stained her face as she ran in the direction of her house.

Why couldn't one thing go right for her?

* * *

**A/N: Okay. I know you guys must HATE me right now! I'm so sorry! I know it might seem like unnecessary drama here at the end. But I feel like Rima should have to confess in her own way. So far Nagihiko's been the one working his ass off to win her over. And I think it's Rima's turn to do some of the work. I promise it will work out. And soon! I'm so sorry!**

**Next chapter will be Ikuto/Amu centered so Amuto fans get their fair share. But the chapter immediately following will be Rima's turn to work for love ****:). **

**And sorry again for not having review responses. But this chapter was SOO long and It's past midnight and I need to go to bed! I appreciate all of them. They really do keep me motivated to write, and I always read them before I write a chapter to remind myself about why I'm writing!**

**Til next time!**


	22. Parents Know Best

**A/N: WOO! Another chapter in such a short time! I was so into the story after I had written the last chapter and these scenes have been in my head since I first started writing this story so it's so exciting to me to finally be writing them!! **

**And reading your guys' reviews just made me want to give you guys the next chapter right away because I can't wait to hear what you think!!**

**Just a heads up, this chapter will have an unexpected serious note in it, and that's just because it's how I originally planned this scene to go AGES ago when I first thought up/outlined this story. So you might be like "What, really?" but I promise the rest of the chapter will make up for it if you're not a fan of the random drama addition here. You'll see what I mean when you read it. **

**ENJOY!! (I know you will!)**

**

* * *

**

Amu's phone snapped shut after she read Rima's text message.

_I hope she's okay…_

She hadn't gotten the chance to speak with her best friend at all. She just wanted to apologize for acting so weird yesterday. It wasn't like Rima knew she'd liked Ikuto. In fact, Rima had tried so hard to get her to go out with him since the beginning, and Amu had flatly refused. She had been such an idiot back then.

_That was when I thought Tadase was the perfect guy._

"Well, shall we just head back then, Amu?" Tadase asked.

She nodded in response to him, and they walked out to the car with Kukai following behind. It's not that Tadase wasn't a good guy. She just hadn't known what it felt like to really like someone back then. She'd just always figured she'd want a nice, sweet guy like him. But, she discovered that what she really wanted was someone she could be herself around. Someone she could argue with. Someone who made her laugh. Someone who made her feel safe when she was scared out of her mind.

She shut the car door next to her and looked at her hand. She still remembered the calming feel of his fingers laced with hers.

_Ikuto…_

She shifted her gaze out the car window toward the sky. It was starting to get dark out.

_I wonder what he's doing right now…_

Her mind wandered as she watched the people on the sidewalk pass in blurs as the car made its way down the street. He was probably eating dinner right now. Chatting with his parents about something. Completely oblivious to the fact that she was sitting here with this dull pang in her heart.

Then she remembered he wasn't in school today.

_I hope he's okay._

Maybe he was sick. Her heart sank. Maybe Rima had found out about it and was over his house taking care of him right now. Maybe she was just keeping it a secret from Amu. Her fingers clenched the bottom of her skirt tightly. _No._ She didn't want that at all. She didn't want him to be with anyone else. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes and she blinked them away. She didn't need to start crying in front of Tadase and Kukai.

She returned her gaze to the window. It looked like it might rain soon. They were passing the city cemetery. She looked at the tombstones as they passed. Suddenly, her eyes caught a glimpse of blue, and as they passed the front gate, her eyes widened.

_Ikuto?!_

Her mind reeled as it attempted to come up with some sort of reason for him to be there. By himself. He was standing too far away for her to get a detailed glimpse, but he was definitely alone. She didn't understand it, but for some reason she felt as if he was calling out for her.

"Tadase, can you stop the car?!"

"Uhh yeah," he said pulling off to the side of the road, "Is everything okay, Amu?"

"Yeah, I just remembered that…uh...my mom wanted me to pick up milk on the way home so I'm gonna stop at the store right there and just walk the rest of the way."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. My house is near here. Thanks!"

She gathered her school bag and swiftly exited the car. Once Tadase and Kukai were out of sight, she took off toward the cemetery.

_Ikuto…_

_

* * *

_Ikuto stared down at the grave in front of him. He crouched down and reached out to touch the tombstone. His fingers traced the engraved markings.

"Mom…Dad…"

He had to fight the tears from welling up in his eyes. This sort of thing never happened to him. He wasn't a crier. And he hadn't visited their grave since the accident almost a year ago. Utau had come several times to show her respect, but he'd always refused to go with her. He'd always been too mad at them. He didn't forgive them for leaving the two of them alone like this.

He knew it was childish. That it wasn't their fault that driver ran a red light at full speed. But thinking about it had always been too painful. And coming here to talk to them would just make him break down. Just like he was now. He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve.

He still didn't really understand why he had come here. He wasn't superstitious. He didn't believe in ghosts or anything like that. But all this shit with Amu had put him into a state of depression. He wanted to talk to someone who wouldn't talk back. And his feet had carried him here.

He was mad at himself. For letting some girl affect him like this. He hadn't even known her that long. A little over a week now. So she liked someone else. Someone he had known from the start that she liked. So why was he so upset at seeing the two of them together?

He remembered the image of the two of them laughing together at the library. He grimaced. His fingers gripped some grass nearby and pulled it from the ground. He tossed it at the grave in frustration. His grimace faded to a sad frown as he watched the grass blades blow away in the breeze.

"This is stupid," he said out loud, "It's not like I'm in love with her."

The wind picked up as he said this and blew the blades of grass around him. Ikuto stood up and his eyes widened as the grass circled his body. But the wind died down as quickly as it had come and the blades started floating back to the ground.

_What the hell?_

He stared down at the grave in disbelief. He looked around to see if anyone nearby had experienced the same thing only to realize he was completely alone in the cemetery. His gaze returned to his parents' grave.

_What _was _that? _

Was he supposed to believe his parents were trying to tell him something? He shook his head and laughed softly at himself. _Great._ Now he was going insane. All because some girl was in his head. And she wouldn't leave.

"_Even though you piss me off a lot, you're actually really fun to be around most of the time."_

His cheeks grew red as he remembered that night at the movies. He couldn't help but laugh at the thought of her trying to hide her face from him so he wouldn't know how scared she was. Or the way she had held onto the armrests for dear life as she tried to be brave. His smile faded as he remembered looking into her big yellow eyes before she squeezed them shut and pulled him closer.

_Amu…_

His hands clenched into fists at his sides. He wanted to see her. Right now, in front of him. He wanted to see her blushing face and her stupid smile. He wanted her to get mad at him for saying perverted things. He wanted her to punch his arm playfully.

He wanted…he wanted…

"Ikuto…"

The wind picked up again. His eyes widened and he snapped his body around to see the girl who wouldn't leave his mind. And she was looking up at him with a sad and worried expression. The wind was blowing her pink hair in front of her eyes and her cheeks were slightly red. Her mouth opened slightly as she panted. His heart throbbed both excitedly and painfully at the sight of her.

He wanted…her. All of her. To himself. It was as if she'd heard his heart call out to her and came running to find him. And here she was. In front of him. Worried for him. Before he could stop himself, tears started coming out one by one and were carried away with the wind.

_Shit. Why am I crying?_

But he couldn't stop. She must've noticed because her eyes widened slightly as she continued to watch him. Without saying anything, she dropped her school bag on the ground and lunged toward him. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she slammed her body into his chest. His feet shuffled backward as he adjusted to the force of it.

His thoughts were too jumbled for him to even process how she'd found him. He looked down at the top of her head as her warmth engulfed him. All that mattered was that she was here. The tears stopped flowing and his expression softened. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her back, pressing her closer to him causing her to squeeze tighter.

The wind died down after a few seconds, and he realized it had happened again. He looked over at the grave, and for a second, he swore it seemed to smile at him. He looked back at Amu in his arms then back at the tombstone. And he smiled.

_Thanks Mom and Dad._

_

* * *

_

Amu held on as tight as she could. She'd been so nervous walking into the cemetery. But she couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't want to be alone. And when she'd seen him looking so sad, all she could think to do was hold on to him.

The wind finally died down and Amu pulled back to look up at him. Her cheeks flushed. She hadn't been this close to him since…her blush deepened. At least he'd stopped crying.

"_Just tell him."_

Nagihiko's words echoed through her head as she stared up into those blue eyes. She forced herself to look away. She couldn't tell him. Not now. She saw the grave next to them and her eyes widened as she read it.

"_Aruto and Souko Tsukiyomi, _

_Beloved parents of Ikuto and Utau_

_March 6, 1974- April 10, 2009_

_Oct. 22 1975-April 10, 2009"_

She couldn't believe what she was reading. Ikuto's parents…were gone. And this Friday was going to be the one-year anniversary of their death.

"It was a car accident."

She turned back toward him. His arms left her back and fell back to his sides. His expression darkened. She didn't know what to say.

"I…I'm sorry, Ikuto. I never knew."

She silently scolded herself for thinking he was at home talking with his parents, oblivious to her suffering earlier.

"It's okay. I don't like to tell people about it. It was in the paper when it happened, but most people at school never really found out."

Her heart practically broke just looking at him. She felt like such a child. She'd been depressed over something so trivial these past two days. So what if her best friend liked the same guy? At least she still had a family to come home to every night. And she had deliberately tried to upset him and make him jealous.

_I'm not even a good friend…_

She needed to make it up to him somehow. Heartbroken or not, she was still his friend. And right now he was depressed, and by some weird twist of fate, she'd been the one to show up at the right moment. She needed to get his mind off of this.

"Hey," she said.

He looked at her. She smiled up at him and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Wanna go watch scary movies and laugh at how much of a wimp I am?"

His eyes widened for a second, and then he let out a good laugh. His eyes softened as he smiled back at her.

"Of course."

* * *

Amu got nervous as she walked in the apartment behind Ikuto. Somehow they'd agreed to go back to _his_ place to watch the movie. Which wasn't that big a deal really. Except that she'd never been in a boy's house before. Alone.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she tried her best to remove any perverted thoughts from her mind.

_You're just here to cheer him up, Amu. You're being a good friend. Don't do anything that would upset Rima!_

And maybe they weren't alone. Didn't that tombstone say he had a sister? She wanted to ask, but she didn't want to possibly conjure up any sad memories of her that Amu didn't know about. But then again, he was only 17. And as far as she knew, he didn't have a part-time job or anything so he couldn't afford an apartment on his own.

She shut the door behind them and turned to take a look at the place. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it wasn't in the worst shape either. They removed their shoes, and she took off her school jacket before they walked down a small hallway that lead into the kitchen. They made a right turn through the kitchen and came to what Amu thought must've been the living room because it was furnished with a couch and a T.V. Behind the couch was a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. She blushed.

_Oh god, are we going up to his bedroom?!_

"Stay here just a sec. I'm gonna go up and change."

_Phew._

"O-oh okay."

But her relief must've shown on her face because he laughed for a second before smirking at her. She'd forgotten how sexy that smirk of his was.

"Unless you wanted to come upstairs?" That perverted glint was back in his eyes.

"Y-yeah R-right!" She blushed profusely and averted her gaze. "You wish!"

She crossed her arms in front of her chest as if to prove her defiance. He laughed again before heading up the stairs. Her heart was pounding. She knew he was just playing with her, but he shouldn't even joke around if he liked Rima.

_Wait…_

Her eyes widened slightly as she realized she'd been making an assumption this whole time. That Ikuto had accepted Rima's confession. Which wasn't necessarily true. A surge of hope coursed through her. Maybe he didn't like her and had to refuse. And that's why Rima doesn't want to talk about it.

_Wait, no. What am I thinking?! Rima's my best friend! I can't flirt with the guy she likes!_

She pressed her hands to her face and shook her head in an attempt to shake away her thoughts. She wasn't flirting with him. If anything, _he_ was flirting with _her._ And that wasn't her fault. She couldn't control him.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine!" She squeaked out a little too enthusiastically as she looked up at the stairs.

Her eyes widened again and she felt her temperature rise at the sight of him. He was wearing a pair of loose, black athletic shorts, and a thin white wife-beater that showed off the slight muscle tone in his chest. He wasn't muscular in a scary way, but Amu remembered being mesmerized by those arms before in gym class. She gulped.

_I realize it's warm out and everything, but it's not _that _warm!!_

She turned around and forced herself to sit down on the couch. This had been a bad idea. She should've just offered to buy him ice cream or something. Yet here she was alone with him in his apartment, and he was wearing very little clothing by her standards. Her throat was drying up.

"Uhhh, Ikuto?"

"Yeah?" He responded, walking around to sit on the couch himself.

She blushed and kept her eyes on the front of the room.

"Do y-you have any water?"

_Oh god, don't stutter!_

"Yeah, I'll go grab us some bottles."

Once he passed into the kitchen, she used her hand to quickly fan herself trying to get rid of some of the heat coming off her body. She loosened the tie of her school uniform and eventually discarded it.

_Control yourself, Amu! It's not like you've never seen half-naked boys at the pool before!_

But thinking that turned out to be a bad idea because it just made her mind conjure up images of Ikuto in nothing but shorts, his body slick with water. She didn't even want to know how red her face was at the moment. She fanned herself faster.

_He's just a boy in a shirt and shorts! I'm turning into a pervert!_

She forced herself to take a deep breath and she willed any of _those_ kind of thoughts out of her mind. She just needed to watch the movie and get out of there. For both her and Rima's sake.

"Catch," he called out tossing a bottle to her.

"Thanks," she said quickly taking a sip, "So what movie did you want to watch?"

"I donno, I was thinking the Exorcist maybe?" He said, unable to hide his smirk.

Amu had never seen the movie herself of course, but she'd heard of it. From what she remembered, it wasn't supposed to be _too_ scary, so maybe she could handle it. Besides, she'd promised to cheer him up anyway.

"Sure, put it in."

"Or," he said ignoring her, "What about Nightmare on Elm Street?"

Her calm demeanor faltered. She knew the premise of that movie, and it was really the last thing she wanted to watch. Any movie with a villain that you couldn't even escape from just wasn't right!

"Uhh…" she laughed nervously.

Ikuto laughed at her reaction, "Sounds like we have a winner!"

Her face paled as he put the movie in. And even more so as she watched him turn out all the lights so that the only light in the room was the glow from the T.V.

"Did you really have to turn out _all_ the lights?"

"Yes," he said as he sat down next to her causing some of the color to return to her cheeks.

She shot him a dirty look. At least this way he wouldn't really be able to see her. And she wouldn't get distracted by his barely clothed body.

"Why?" He asked leaning in close to her face. "You scared already?"

_Too…close…_

She knew he was just doing it for dramatic effect but her body didn't know that.

"N-no!" She retorted, looking away quickly to hide her blush.

She heard him chuckle as he leaned back and pressed play on the remote. Despite everything, she couldn't help but smile for a second. She had missed being with him like this. Missed the thrill she felt sitting this close to him. Closing her eyes for a second, she savored the sound of her pounding heart before the surround sound kicked in signaling the start of the movie.

_That's right, Amu. No more romantic thoughts! _

The movie started out fairly tame, just as she knew it would. She'd been dragged to enough movies by Rima to know the basic pattern of these damned horror films. Things were bound to go downhill pretty quickly.

And she was right. She was already regretting agreeing to this. This one night of amusement for him would amount to like a week of no sleep for her. Which was just perfect considering she had this stupid history project to work on.

The screen got eerily silent all the sudden, and that feeling of dread she know all too well was creeping up on her.

_Oh god. _

She kept telling herself that she needed to be brave since Ikuto was here, but at the last second, she couldn't take it anymore and she shielded her eyes from the screen. The sudden start of the music accompanied by the girl's scream still caused Amu to flinch though, and of course that caught _his _ attention. She heard him chuckle to her left.

"I hate you," she stated bluntly. He chuckled louder.

"Sorry, I can't help but laugh at you when you get scared."

She looked over at him to stick her tongue out, but stopped herself when she saw the expression on his face. He looked genuinely happy. She blushed.

_It's worth it_, she reminded herself. She wanted to get his mind off his parents' death, and if that meant losing sleep for a week, she'd do it.

"I'm glad I could amuse you," she said sarcastically, but with a smile.

"Yeah…me too," he said as he looked back at her.

Her heart started pounding again as his expression turned serious.

"Thanks," he said, "I really needed this."

"Y-yeah, no problem," she responded as she averted her gaze again.

Luckily the sounds of the movie broke the few seconds of awkward silence that followed, and they started watching again. Amu was focused on watching the next scary scene, knowing that her reaction would at least cheer him up more. But she didn't expect it to make her scream out loud.

"AHH!"

Her body pushed back against the couch cushions trying to get as far away from the screen as possible. When she realized what she'd done, she instantly moved a hand to cover her mouth.

_Oh my god, I did not just scream._

The sound of laughter interrupted her thoughts and made her look over at him. Her eyebrows furrowed on instinct, but her expression softened when she realized how intensely he was laughing at her. She couldn't deny the happiness she felt at being the only person in the room who could see him right now. Knowing she was the one who could make him laugh like that. It was the best feeling.

"You're so mean," she said slapping him playfully on the arm.

"It's not my fault you screamed like that over nothing," he responded with a light tap of his own.

"Whatever! He comes in your dreams and you can't even stop him. That shit's scary!"

"Aww, does Amu need me to protect her from the bad guys?" That playful glint was obvious in his eyes.

"Maybe I do!" She said without even thinking.

The room got quiet all the sudden, and Ikuto's expression changed to a look Amu wasn't used to seeing. She couldn't describe it in words but it made her skin tingle as his now-gentle eyes stared back into hers.

"Well, come here then," he said softly as he grasped her arm and gently pulled her into his chest.

Her face was pressed against his soft tank-top as his arms wrapped around her. She closed her eyes and snuggled against him, unable to pull away from his warmth. It seemed stupid, but she really did feel like those arms could protect her from anything, even in her dreams. She knew the movie was still playing, but she didn't really care anymore. It was late and all this heat was making her tired. And she felt safe.

_I'm sorry, Rima._

_

* * *

_

Ikuto was glad Amu's face was hidden against his shirt because he was sure anyone could see the red on his cheeks from a mile away. Even in this dark room. He didn't know how to explain it, but he couldn't help wanting to protect her, even from the fake terrors of the movie.

_*Flashback*_

"_Daddy," Ikuto said as he pulled on his father's coat sleeve to get his attention, "Am I allowed to marry mom, too?"_

_His dad smiled and leaned down, grabbing him around the waist and hoisting him into the air. _

"_No, Ikuto," his father said, letting him rest against his chest._

"_Why not? I love her too!" he argued._

"_Yes that's true, but someday you're going to find someone you love even more than your mother. That's the girl you should marry."_

"_Really?" Ikuto asked curiously. "Even more than I love mom?"_

"_Yep," his father smiled, tapping him on the nose._

_Ikuto frowned, "But how will I know which girl to pick? How can I tell if I love someone more than mom?"_

"_Trust me, son. You'll know. Maybe not right away. But as time goes by, you'll start to think about her all the time. Her smile, her laugh, how she doesn't realize how beautiful she is."_

"_Really?" Ikuto asked, his eyes widening._

"_Yes," his father laughed, "And you'll start to worry about her constantly because you know she does things like lock her keys in the car and ask random strangers on the side of the road for help."_

_His father looked a little annoyed as he said that, but Ikuto didn't quite understand what he was talking about. _

"_But anyway," his father continued, "You'll want to protect her from bad people. And most of all, you'll want her all to yourself."_

"_But I'm okay sharing mom with you!"_

"_Exactly, but I won't share her with _you_. Which is why I can't let you marry her too. Understand?"_

"_I guess…But I really don't think anyone can beat mom," Ikuto said triumphantly._

_His father laughed. "We'll see, son. We'll see."_

_*End Flashback*_

Ikuto closed his eyes and hugged Amu closer to him. He understood it all now. Everything his dad said to him that day made sense. Somehow, in such a short time, this girl managed to squeeze her way into his heart, to the point where he couldn't go more than a few minutes without thinking about her. A fact he had realized in the last two days.

And now he wanted to protect her. From anything and everything. And he certainly didn't want to share her with anyone. Seeing her with Tadase had made that absolutely clear to him. He let it all sink in as he sat there holding her. The movie got quiet and he realized he could hear soft snores coming from her.

_Is she asleep??_

He loosened his grip and pulled her back so he was looking down at her face. Sure enough, she was out cold, her slightly parted lips responsible for the snoring sounds. He had to suppress a laugh in order to keep himself from waking her up. He reached for the remote and muted the movie so she could continue to sleep.

His gaze returned to her face and he felt his temperature rise a little. He never realized how long her eyelashes were before. Or how smooth her skin was. Her neck was slightly exposed since she had apparently unbuttoned the top two buttons on her white school shirt. He blushed as he forced his eyes to move back up to her face and not…anywhere else.

_Get a hold of yourself! You're practically undressing her in your mind!_

Then his eyes focused on her mouth, and his mind forgot about all her other body parts. He honestly couldn't think of anything he wanted more at that moment than to capture those lips. He'd dreamt of them enough since they'd first met, and he was certain he'd continue to do so until he finally kissed her in the real world.

He used his free hand to sweep her hair out of her eyes. He traced his finger across her cheekbone before cupping her chin.

_Forgive me, Amu._

He finally gave in to temptation and placed his lips on hers. The initial touch sent a tiny jolt through him, which he felt was enough to justify his actions. His eyelids closed as he sucked lightly on her bottom lip. Not expecting her to respond, he switched to her top lip, relishing the way she tasted. It was even better than in his dreams.

Then he felt her lips part even more as she let out a tiny gasp. He froze at first, realizing he may have just woken her up. But, before he could pull away, he felt arms wrap around his neck and pressure against his bottom lip.

_She's kissing me back!_

His mind was reeling, but he certainly didn't fight her. His hand let go of her chin and buried itself in her hair as the kiss escalated. He slid his tongue across her lips, and she parted them without hesitation. His tongue slid inside and he felt her moan against him.

They parted for just a second to get oxygen, and then her lips slammed back on his. His lips parted slightly in surprise and she wasted no time slipping her tongue inside. It was his turn to moan this time. The tip of her tongue had grazed a sensitive part of the roof of his mouth, and it felt _phenomenal._

He never thought Amu would be such a passionate kisser. Not that he minded, but in his dreams she was a little more shy at first. He removed his arm from around her waist, hoping to use it for other things, but when he did so, he felt the arms fall from his neck and her lips pulled away from his.

He opened his eyes to see a passed out Amu collapse against the couch. Within seconds she was snoring again, and it occurred to him that she was still asleep. And may have been the whole time. She mumbled something as she rolled over to her side and resumed snoring again.

_You've got to be kidding me…_

He cursed silently to himself realizing he'd have to pretend the whole thing never happened in the morning.

_In the morning…wait…_

He looked over at the digital clock on the television and saw how late it was. It was a school night. And Amu was passed out here in front of him. In his apartment. And he had no idea where her house was.

_Utau is going to freak out if Amu's here when she gets back._

Unable to think of another option, he slid his arms under her back and legs, hoisting her up princess style. He carried her upstairs and laid her down in his bed, pulling the covers over top of her. He'd have to hide her here until morning. He'd figure the rest out then. He was too tired and his thoughts were too jumbled now. He grabbed a spare blanket from the closet and laid down on the floor.

His lips still tingled from that heated kiss, and he realized his dreams would feel a little vacant now that he'd experienced the real thing. And it also made him realize that his dad had been right. His heart skipped a beat as he finally admitted to himself the one fact he'd been ignoring up til now.

_I'm in love with her…_

And he made a mental note to visit his parents' grave more often in the future.

* * *

**A/N: WOOO!!!!! That was the longest chapter EVER! It's 2:30 A.M.! And I started at like 9:00 P.M.! So how was it?! I had SO much fun writing it. It felt like it had been awhile since I had written any Amuto scenes and this chapter was just chock-full of them! **

**So I know I said the next chapter would go back to Rima. But I might have to finish out this Amuto scene first because I'm sure everyone wants to know how things will turn out the next morning! AM I RIGHT?!**

**Rima will definitely have a part in the next chapter, but her big moment won't come until the following chapter. Sorry about that! **

**Hope you guys are enjoying all the fluff!**


	23. My Good Luck Charm

**A/N: OMG the next chapter! I'm sorry it took me so long. The last two-three weeks of college were intense. There were actually a few nights during finals week that I literally did not sleep. And then I worked every single day this past week (my first week back). Except for today cause it's Memorial Day. So I finally got a chance to write tonight now that I'm done celebrating with the family.**

**Thanks to everyone who stuck with me through this past month. I really loved all the reviews for the last chapter! I agree with you all, I was missing some Amuto action myself since it became so Rimahiko centered for awhile. Not that I don't love Rimahiko too cause I totally do love them. But in light of that, I decided to devote another whole chapter to Amu and Ikuto before I go back to Rima and Nagihiko! **

**I think you guys will like this one (*crosses fingers*). And if you're a Rimahiko fan, I promise you'll love the next chapter if you don't like this one! :D**

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

Amu woke to the sound of birds chirping outside her bedroom window. She groaned at the sound and pushed her face further into her pillow to escape the sunlight pouring into the room. The chirping got louder and she finally resigned herself to waking up. She inhaled deeply as she sighed.

_Hmm…this doesn't smell like my pillow…_

Not that she minded it too much. It was a nice smell. She couldn't quite place it but it gave her a feeling of comfort. She rolled over onto her back and stretched out her arms as her eyelids slowly slid open. She stopped mid-stretch.

_What the hell?_

Her eyes scanned the room. Numerous posters of bands and video games covered the red walls. She looked down and realized the comforter she was using was brown, not yellow like the one in her room.

_Oh my god. Where am I?_

She noticed a crumpled blanket and pillow on the floor next to the bed. Her mind reeled.

_Calm down, Amu. Just think about what happened yesterday. You were at the museum, and then you saw Ikuto and then—Ikuto!_

Her hands slapped against her cheeks as she realized where she was.

_And then you went to his house and then you watched a movie and then you fell asleep! You idiot!_

She looked down and saw that she was still wearing her school uniform from the day before.

_Oh my god! School!_

Frantic, she searched the room for a clock and found one on the ground by the nightstand next to her.

_7:50a.m.! We have to be at school in ten minutes!_

Ikuto was nowhere in sight so she figured he must be downstairs. She blushed for a second as she reached to open the bedroom door. The events from the previous night played through her mind, more slowly this time. Her blush deepened as she remembered being pulled against his warm chest. She must've fallen asleep quickly because she didn't remember anything after that.

Though she did remember having a rather vivid dream of making out with him. She felt her temperature rise as she thought about it. Sure, she'd had similar dreams before, but this one had felt so real. She remembered thinking that in the dream too. That his lips were much softer and warmer than they'd ever been in any of her other dreams.

She shook her head suddenly in an attempt to rid her mind of those thoughts. She needed to get to school! Gathering herself, she exited his room and entered a narrow hallway. The sound of someone showering filled her ears as she made her way toward the stairs at the other end.

_Is he crazy? We need to leave now!_

Images of him opening the door in nothing but a towel stopped her from banging on the bathroom door and berating him. Her cheeks reddened. She might as well head downstairs and look for her tie and phone, and if he wasn't out in a few minutes, she'd just leave without him!

She hurried down the steps and blushed when she saw the couch in the living room. That's where they'd made out in her dream.

_No time for that, Amu! Find your tie!_

She didn't see it as she looked around the couch.

_Come on, where is that thing?_

Desperate, she shoved her hands between the couch cushions and felt a wave of relief as her fingers brushed against silk.

"Ha! Found you," she yelled triumphantly as she pulled the tie out.

"Oh my god!"

Amu jumped at the sound of the female voice.

_Oh…no…_

She looked over into the kitchen to see a slender blonde girl not much older than her staring back at her in shock.

_Oh my god, that must be his sister!_

At least she hoped it was his sister. As they continued to stare at each other in silence, Amu realized that she recognized this girl in front of her.

"Oh my god! You're the woman from the bathing suit shop," she exclaimed, pointing a finger at the girl.

"Oh! You're that girl!" She blushed as if she'd been caught, "yeah sorry about that. Ikuto told me he needed my help making some girl look cute and I work there so…yeah…"

"Oh," Amu responded, unsure of what to say. "Umm…are you…his sister?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. His older sister. I'm Utau."

Amu let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She'd been worried for a second that she was his…girlfriend…or something. Once the relief settled in, she realized that Ikuto had played her that day at the shop.

_That bastard!_

"Umm…not that it's any of my business," Utau started, "but what are you doing here?"

Amu blushed. _Oh, right._ She hadn't even thought about how weird this must look.

"Uhh…well…I guess I fell asleep here while we were watching a movie last night, and uhh….yeah…" her voice trailed off.

Her eyes widened suddenly. "Oh my god, it's not like we slept together or anything! We didn't. I promise. It's not like that! Gosh, this must sound terrible. I'm so sorry. I'm so embarrassed right now."

Her cheeks were on fire as she fixed her gaze on the ground. She needed some excuse to get out of there. And quickly. But suddenly, she heard giggling and looked up to see Ikuto's sister smiling at her. Her blush deepened even more.

"No, I'm sorry," Utau said, forcing herself to stop laughing, "I just can't help but laugh at the way you rambled on all worried like that. You're too cute!"

"Oh," Amu blushed again, "Uhh…thanks? But really, there's nothing going on. I was just trying to cheer him up."

"Oh really," Utau remarked with a curious expression, "What happened?"

Amu didn't like the way Utau was smiling at her like she didn't believe a word Amu said. Even so, she hesitated before telling her the truth. She didn't want to bring up their dead parents, but she felt like this girl would be able to tell that she was lying if she made something up. And that would just make Amu look even more guilty.

"Well…he was feeling really sad about your parents."

Utau's smile faded, "What?"

Suddenly Amu felt like maybe Ikuto would get in trouble for telling someone about their parents.

"Sorry! I know not a lot of people know, but I ran into him at the cemetery so he probably felt like he needed to explain it to me. And he looked really upset so I wanted to cheer him up so we watched a movie together and accidentally fell asleep. It's not his fault, really!"

"Amu, it's okay. That's your name right? Amu?"

"Umm..yeah," she responded, embarrassed.

Utau's smile returned. A sincere one this time.

"I'm not upset that you know. A lot of people know. I'm just a little shocked that Ikuto told you honestly about it. Obviously, in that situation, it might seem odd if he had just kept silent, but that's actually what he's always done. Aside from Nagi, I didn't think he'd ever talk to anyone about it. Even if they knew. He doesn't even talk to me about it."

Amu stared intently at Utau as she continued.

"So it actually makes me really happy to hear that he talked to you about it at all. You say there's nothing romantic going on between you two, and maybe that really is the case, but regardless, you must be special to him in some way. And he doesn't have a lot of genuine people in his life, so I guess I'm just trying to say thank you for that. Ah, sorry this conversation got so serious. It's—Amu?"

Amu knew why Utau suddenly looked so concerned. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she listened to Utau speak. She was just so mad at herself for not realizing everything sooner. His situation. Her feelings for him. Everything.

"Yo, Amu, you ready to go?"

She tensed as she heard Ikuto's voice come from upstairs.

"Ah, I'm sorry," she said wiping her eyes with her sleeve, "Tell him I'm waiting outside for him."

She grabbed her jacket and shoes as she headed out the door. She needed a minute to gather her thoughts before she faced him again.

* * *

"Amu?"

Ikuto had gone back to his room to wake her up but she wasn't there anymore. He'd been a little upset that he hadn't been able to see her sleeping face one more time. He wanted to relive last night over and over again. His temperature rose as he remembered kissing her.

_Too bad she was asleep…_

He walked down the stairs into the living room.

_Where is she?_

Although…he could imagine she might have been a little shocked when she woke up in his room this morning. But he wasn't sure what else he could've done in that situation.

_You could have woken her up and taken her home…_

So maybe he could've done that. But it was late, and she was out like a light. And he had just kissed her. How could he be expected to think logically after that?

_It's not every day that I realize I'm in love with someone._

He blushed. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe his feelings weren't as strong as he thought, but he had nothing to compare it to. He'd never felt this way about anyone else. And now that he knew it, he sure wasn't gonna let that punk Tadase take her without a fight.

"How long are you going to stare at the couch like that?"

Ikuto froze at the sound of his sister's voice. She wasn't supposed to be awake this early.

"If you're looking for that cute little pinkette, she's waiting outside for you."

He forced himself to look over at her now. She was sitting casually on the kitchen table, her legs hanging over the side. And she was grinning at him. Not smiling. Grinning. He raised an eyebrow.

"Look, I know this looks weird, but I promise you, nothing happened. She fell asleep watching a movie. It was late and I didn't want to wake her up and I didn't want to freak you out so I let her sleep in my bed. But I slept on the floor."

"You two are so funny," she giggled.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, brother dearest. I just want you to know that I approve." She laughed again.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, _sister dearest_. We're just friends."

"Right. Just friends of the opposite sex who casually sleep in the same room alone together. Got it."

Ikuto frowned as his sister nonchalantly started to clean off the table.

"Whatever, Utau. I'm going to school."

He grabbed his school bag and walked toward the door.

"She really cares about you, you know," Utau said in a serious tone. "You should just tell her how you feel."

He turned to look at her, surprised by her words. He blushed as he let them sink in.

"It's not that simple," he replied and walked out the door.

* * *

Amu sat out on the front step as she waited for Ikuto. She looked at her phone to check the time. She flipped it open to reveal that she had 3 missed calls and 3 voicemails. Two from her parents. One from Rima.

_Oh shit! _

She hadn't really thought about the consequences of her not coming home last night. She put the phone up to her ear to listen to the messages. The first one was a rather frantic and worried message from her mother wondering about her whereabouts. The second one was also from her mother. It was in a much calmer, yet stern tone telling her to just call them the next time she decides to spend the night at Rima's.

_What?_

The third message was from Rima asking her where she was and telling her that she covered for her when her mom called and hoped that she was okay. Amu smiled as she deleted the messages.

_Thank god for Rima!_

Her smile changed to a frown as she thought about her predicament again. She needed to talk to her best friend. If anything, last night just made her realize how impossible it was for her to suppress her feelings. She loved Rima more than anyone, but she didn't realize how hard it would be to ignore her heart when she was around Ikuto.

She kept telling herself that Rima would understand if she explained it to her, and at least that way, she wouldn't feel so guilty whenever she had romantic thoughts about him. And maybe they could agree to just have a fair fight for him. But regardless of the outcome, she couldn't continue awkwardly with Rima like this. They needed to clear the air between them.

The door behind her opened suddenly and she jumped up from the step. She felt her face heat up at the sight of him in his black school uniform. She didn't know why she suddenly had that reaction now though. It wasn't like she'd never seen him in his uniform before.

_At least it's more than he was wearing last night._

The sound of laughter interrupted her thoughts and she realized she was the one being laughed at.

"Amu, did you even look in a mirror this morning?"

_Eh?_

"What?"

"Your hair looks ridiculous right now."

Her face flushed red with embarrassment as she realized she had literally gotten out of bed, run downstairs, talked with Utau (_who didn't say a thing, damn her!_), and left.

_Oh god! My hair probably looks like a blow-dried dog!_

She pressed her hands against her cheeks as her face grew redder.

"Hey, sorry," Ikuto said as his laughter died away, "It's not that bad really."

"How can I believe that now?" She pouted looking away.

Her anger faded quickly as she felt his warm hand brush against her head.

"Well at least take this hair tie out," he said as he leaned over her to untangle it from her hair. "It's half the reason your hair is all over the place."

She blushed again as she stared up at him quietly. He was intently concentrating on untying the knot. Their bodies were really close. To anyone else, they surely looked like they were dating. Amu's lips curved up in a sad smile as she closed her eyes and savored the feeling of his hands in her hair. And his scent. Like a mixture of cinnamon and chocolate. The same scent from his pillow.

After a few seconds, he had successfully retrieved the hair tie and was smoothing out her locks for her.

_His hands feel really nice._

"What?"

Amu's eyes shot open to see a red-faced Ikuto looking down at her.

_Oh my god. Did I say that out loud?_

He looked away and covered his blushing face with his sleeve. She was so embarrassed she couldn't say anything.

"Don't say things like that so suddenly," he mumbled, refusing to look at her.

"Oh…umm…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad." She looked away from his face as well. What else could she say?

She heard him mumble something against his sleeve again, but she couldn't understand it this time.

"Uh…what did you say?"

He mumbled it again. She frowned and reached out and pulled his hand away from his face.

"What?"

Her eyes widened at how red his face was. He still refused to look at her.

"I said I'm not mad!"

"S-Sorry!" She replied again, her face turning red.

Things were getting awkward now. She'd been the one to say something embarrassing. Why was he so upset? He didn't say anything again, and she realized she was still holding onto his hand.

"Ah, sorry!" She said as she let go.

_Gah! I'm apologizing again! Why am I acting so weird?_

"It's okay."

She looked up at him. He was looking at her now, his face still red as a tomato.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered, "S-sorry I keep doing weird things."

"No, I mean," he paused, his face getting redder. "You don't have to let go."

_What?_

She blushed as she stared up at him, not knowing how to process his words.

"Just come on, we're late."

She felt his hand grasp hers as he turned around and led her towards his car. Her blush deepened as she followed behind him, unable to tear her gaze from their joined hands. Her heart and her brain were working overtime now.

* * *

Ikuto made sure to keep a step ahead of her as they walked to his car. He'd never been so caught off guard in his life. He wouldn't normally have been affected by such random words. But he had never expected that seeing her looking so disheveled would affect him so much. He'd only laughed at her to hide his true reaction.

_She looked so cute I could barely control myself._

Seeing her like that just made him want to kiss her. Or hug her. Anything really. But he settled for fixing her hair instead. He felt like she had been showing off her cuteness to the world and he didn't want that.

And then she'd closed her eyes and smiled as she said those words. Not that his hands feeling nice was that weird, really. But the way she said it, like she didn't want him to stop. It had hit some sort of nerve in him that made him lose his bearings. It was like she was releasing super-pheromones all the sudden.

Even the simple act of her grabbing his hand was enough to skyrocket his body temperature. And her letting go this time bothered him even more than it had that night at the movies. Even though in this case she'd only grabbed his hand to move it for a second.

Everything felt so much more intense and meaningful now.

_Is it so different now because I'm actually in love with her?_

It better be. Because if his emotions and reactions could get even stronger than this, he didn't think his body could survive it.

"Oh look, a penny!"

She pulled on his hand and he turned around. She'd stopped to pick up a penny from the sidewalk.

"What do you want a penny for?"

"It's on heads!"

He raised an eyebrow.

"So?"

"Well," she said standing up, "in the United States, if you find a penny on heads, it means good luck!"

He couldn't help but smile at her excited expression.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"No," he said still smiling, "I was just thinking how you're the only person our age that I know who would get excited over something like that."

"Whatever," she said, walking back to him. "I picked it up for you."

His eyes widened for a second before returning to normal.

"Why for me?"

"Cause after yesterday, I feel like you need a good luck charm! Something that keeps you happy and gives you hope even when you're having a shitty day. Now hold out your free hand."

"But I don't need another one," he said. "I already have you."

Her cheeks gradually turned red as she stared up at him. He watched as the hand with the penny fell to her side and heard the ping of the penny landing back on the concrete.

"Uhh..umm…I..."

He smiled as he watched her get more and more embarrassed with each passing second. As he stared, he wondered how he ever thought he might not actually be in love with this girl.

"Come on, let's go. We're already gonna be late for gym."

"Oh..uhh..okay."

He continued to lead her down the sidewalk toward his car. They passed a movie store advertising the previous week's release of Nightmare on Elm Street on DVD. He felt Amu's hand tighten its grip on his and he smiled again. He really felt like having her with him like this made any day a good day.

_I'm so in love with her I can't stand it._

_

* * *

_**A/N: Yay! Finally finished this chapter! And I have to wake up in 7 hours to go to work! WOO! ….Anyways, hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Once again, sorry it took so long to post! I work all this week (til next Monday…ugh) so the next chapter won't come for another week, but after that, they should come every couple of days or so. And there's only a couple chapters left so the end really is near!**

**As always, Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews! You guys keep me going! :D**


	24. Match One: Rima and Nagihiko

**A/N: Yay another update! It's getting so exciting that I can't stop writing it. I can't even explain how excited I get to write these moments. Because I can picture them perfectly in my mind and I'm always just like GAH! Why can't it be this way for real? I wish I could draw so I could make like a real crappy manga version of it. But oh well. Some of us just aren't blessed with artistic abilities like that (*large blinking arrow points at FBGoldfish*)**

**Anyways, did I ever tell you guys how much I love your reviews? I sometimes just go back and read them from all different chapters, and it really just puts me in a good mood! So I just want to thank everyone again. Even seeing people who just favorite the story makes me giddy cause I think "Yay! A new reader!" I just wanted to share my happiness with you all and tell you how awesome you are! :D**

**Moving on to the story, this chapter, as promised, is Rimahiko centered, but there is some Amuto squeezed in (I just can't help myself!) so Amuto fans should still enjoy it. Not to mention there's a key scene between Amu and Rima here!**

**I haven't actually started writing it yet so I don't know that I'll make it as far as I'd like, but my plan is to not let myself stop until I get to the Rimahiko climax here! So prepare yourself for what could be an extremely long chapter! (Like super, extra long!)**

**Enjoy! (Oh and the song at the beginning is 'Black Roses Red' by Alana Grace, I dono, guess I thought it fit Rima or something)**

**

* * *

**_Can I ask you a question, please?  
Promise you won't laugh at me?  
Honestly, I'm standing here,  
Afraid I'll be betrayed.  
As twisted as it seems,  
I only fear love when it's in my dreams.  
So let in the morning light,  
And let the darkness fade away.  
Can you turn my black roses red?  
Can you turn my black roses red?_

_

* * *

_

Rima continued to check her phone as Nikaidou took attendance in homeroom.

_Where is she?_

She was starting to get worried. She'd never heard back from Amu since she'd left her a voicemail last night. Her mom had been frantic when she called their house. Thankfully, Rima had been the one to answer the phone and not her mother. At the time, she'd immediately felt the need to calm Amu's mother so she told her Amu was just staying over that night.

But now that Amu was a no-show this morning, she was afraid something had happened to her. When the bell to leave for first period rang, Rima exited the classroom and immediately flipped her phone open and sent Amu a text message. Surprisingly, she received a response within seconds and let out a sigh of relief. She opened her phone to read the message.

"_Sorry! We're almost there!"_

_We?_

Who was she with? But all thoughts were wiped from Rima's mind as she approached the cooking classroom. Her pace slowed as she got closer, and her stomach did not feel right at all.

_Nagihiko is in there…_

This was the first time she would see him since the museum yesterday. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered his earnest confession.

"_I'm in love with you."_

Her heart pounded against her chest as it had done then. No one had ever said that to her before. And it had been completely unexpected. She'd thought for sure that he liked Amu, but apparently the affection was only on Amu's side.

And what irked her the most was that she'd almost responded to him. If Amu hadn't called her just then, what would she have said? Sure her heart beat a little faster when he was around, but she wasn't _in love _with him, right? She was still coming to terms with the fact that she might _like _him. Maybe.

And, hypothetically, if she did like him, wouldn't it be unfair to him since his feelings were so much stronger? Wouldn't it make more sense for him to be with someone who loved him back?

The bell rang for class to start, interrupting Rima's thoughts. Despite the growing uneasiness in the pit of her stomach, she quickly stepped into the classroom. But as she walked towards the back, she realized her partner was absent.

_Oh thank God._

She took a deep breath and let it out as she sat down at their kitchen. She really had no idea what to say to him whenever she did see him, so putting it off longer was perfectly fine with her. Her mind immediately returned to his confession again.

How did people even know if they were in love? Did it feel different from just liking them? Does someone just wake up one day and know? Rima rested her head against her school bag on the counter in front of her. She just didn't understand it.

_I wonder if Amu is in love with him…_

Maybe Nagihiko was the other part of the "we" from her text message. Maybe he'd gone to her after he'd been rejected like that. She couldn't blame him. And if that was the case, it was probably for the best. She couldn't return such strong feelings so he should be with someone who could. And this way her best friend could be happy as well.

"Rima," her teacher called out to her, "since Nagihiko isn't here today, why don't you work with Haru and Izumi for this dish?"

"Sure," Rima complied.

Maybe she could actually be useful to those guys. And perhaps cooking something could take her mind off of things. The teacher walked her over to the next station where the two boys were and explained the situation to them. Rima stowed her bag somewhere, donned an apron, and took a look at the recipe.

They were making some sort of pepper steak. There seemed to be a lot of frying and vegetable cutting involved.

"Oh, I can cut the vegetables!" She exclaimed.

She'd forgotten that Nagihiko had taught her how to do it.

"Oh okay, sure," one of the boys responded, "We'll start on the steak then."

"Okay."

Excited to be useful, Rima grabbed a cutting board, a knife, and one of the green peppers in front of her to start working.

_Okay so I keep one hand on one end and start cutting from the other._

She did so as she went through Nagihiko's advice in her mind. She placed the knife against the top of the pepper and pushed down. The knife didn't go all the way through in one go as she half expected so she made sure to keep her left hand on the pepper still as she pulled the knife back and forth.

_Like you're cutting into a steak, Rima. Back and forth._

The pepper slice came off easily as the knife reached the cutting board and Rima smiled to herself. It really was rather easy once she got used to it. She went through the process again and her smile got wider each time she did it.

"Okay, Rima. We're ready for the vegetables now."

_Eh? _

"What? Oh, but I've only just finished the pepper."

"What? You mean you haven't even gotten to the onions yet?"

"Uhh…no."

"Geeze."

She watched as one of the boys shook his head and the other scowled a little bit as he walked over and took the pepper slices from her.

"Well move a little quicker, will ya?"

"A-ah okay, s-sorry!"

She grabbed the onion quickly and placed it on the cutting board. As she started cutting, she could hear the boys talking behind her.

"Why'd the teacher have to put her with us?"

"Yeah, I mean she's cutting at a snail's pace over there."

Rima's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. She picked up the pace of her cutting, eager to make up for her mistake. But as she cut, she could hear Nagihiko's voice in her head.

"_Slow down, Rima. Just take your time."_

That's what he would've said. But she couldn't do that. She had to get the onions cut. Her slices got more frantic as she neared the end of the onion, but as she pushed down on the last section, the knife slid through quickly and she nicked one of her fingers with the blade.

"Ouch!" she yelled instinctively.

She immediately brought her finger to her mouth hoping the pressure would ease some of the pain. She pulled it away and saw a droplet of blood start to pool at her fingertip.

"You done yet over there?"

She tensed as one of the boys walked over to her.

"Geeze, you got blood on some of them. What'd you do?"

"Ah sorry! I just cut my finger."

She reached out and showed him her bleeding finger, and his face recoiled in disgust.

"Gross! Don't show it to me. Just go get a bandaid or something."

"S-sorry."

Rima's cheeks grew red again as the boy shook his head and took the onions away. She quickly ran to the teacher to get a bandaid. She wrapped it around her finger and walked back to the boys' kitchen.

"Don't worry, Rima. We can handle the rest. Just sit down and we'll bring some over to you when it's done."

"Oh…okay," she half whispered as she walked over to her seat.

As she sat down, she looked at her now bandaged finger. The blood was slowly starting to stain the inside of the bandaid. Her eyes traveled downward and she saw the small scar on her palm left by the burn mark she'd received on the first cooking day. She remembered the cool feeling of the ice against it as Nagihiko rushed to her side.

"_Rima, are you okay?"_

She frowned. What had she expected? That those boys would leave the frying pan and run to get her a bandaid? That they'd teach her a faster way to cut the onions? Just because one boy had done those things for her didn't mean that they all would. They weren't him. Neither of them was…

_Nagihiko…_

"_You were rude and stubborn and sarcastic. But all those things just made me like you more."_

Her fingers curled into a fist as the anger welled up inside of her. Anger at herself. She'd been such a bitch this whole time. She'd been exactly as he had said. And he still wanted to be with her. That's what love was, wasn't it? Seeing someone's faults and liking them for it anyway. And she just continuously acted childish. Over and over again. Somebody had fallen in love with her. For her. And she had just run away without any sort of explanation.

_I'm such an idiot. God, what does he think of me now?_

_

* * *

_Amu got out of Ikuto's car and shut the door behind her. She was trying not to think about everything that happened that morning, but she couldn't help feeling excited. When Ikuto had basically referred to her as his good luck charm, her heart had practically exploded inside her. She knew he could've just been saying that as a friend, but it felt like more than that.

To prevent the car ride from being awkwardly silent, Amu had asked him about his sister. She discovered that Utau was a university student, only two years older than him. Their parents' inheritance was enough to afford schooling, but apparently Utau still worked at a karaoke bar part time in the evenings to help pay for their living expenses. And, Ikuto explained, she also worked at that clothing boutique on weekends. Ikuto said that he had offered to get a job himself but she wouldn't let him saying that she wanted him to enjoy his high school years.

He had sounded a little annoyed as he said it, but Amu could tell the two were very close and had a loving relationship. She'd only spoken to Utau twice now, and she seemed so mature for being so young. Like their parents' death had forced her to grow up too fast.

"Come on, let's go. Kyoto sensei is probably worried about us."

Ikuto locked the car, grabbed her hand, and they took off at a run toward the school entrance. She once again found herself staring at their hands as she ran to keep up with him. Her hand was starting to get used to the feel of his and that scared her. She didn't know how long she was going to have access to that hand of his. Because the truth of that matter was that they were not actually dating. Her best friend liked the same guy. And she had no clue about Ikuto's feelings.

"_You must be someone special to him in some way."_

She blushed as she remembered Utau's words. She needed to talk to Rima. Soon.

* * *

Amu panted as she ran around the gym. They'd arrived to class fifteen minutes late, and as punishment, had to run five laps around the gym while the others continued playing basketball. To say she was embarrassed would be an understatement. Not only was everyone else laughing at them, but Ikuto was so much faster than her that he was actually about to pass her. Not that she expected to keep up with him, but still…it was a little humiliating.

She could hear his footsteps get closer and she tried to pick up her pace. But instead of making her go faster, the sudden increase in speed caused her to lose her footing. She closed her eyes and braced herself for impact, completely aware that she had managed to do something even more embarrassing than having Ikuto pass her.

But instead of feeling the ground, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and pull her upward. Her back was suddenly pressed up against someone's chest as another arm wrapped itself around her.

"Idiot," she felt someone whisper in her ear.

_Ikuto?_

She shook her head at her own stupidity.

_Duh, Amu. Who else could it be?_

She could feel his hot breath against her neck and she felt her body temperature rise. His arms tightened their hold and she brought her own arms up to his giving him a light squeeze back.

"Thanks," she whispered, still out of breath.

Then she realized that the gym was very quiet all the sudden, and looked up to see the whole class staring at them. She blushed.

"Ah…umm…Ikuto?"

"Yeah?"

"Uhh…y-you can let g-go now," she stammered, anxious to stop the stares.

She felt him sigh against her neck before he released her from his grip. Without another word, he took off past her to continue his laps. Her body felt cold all the sudden without Ikuto's body heat around her.

"You better start running, Amu."

She blinked and realized Ikuto was running backwards ahead of her as he called out to her.

"Unless you want me to pass you again."

The class erupted into laughter again and she could see Ikuto smirk at her before turning around. Her fingers clenched into fists as she resumed running.

"Asshole!" She yelled out to him.

But she smiled to herself as she ran after him. She was thankful that he had broken the silence.

* * *

Rima ran out of the cooking classroom as soon as the bell rang. She needed to talk to Amu. Now. She needed to know what was going on. She needed to hear it from her best friend's own mouth. She'd finally admitted to herself that she didn't _want_ to hear it, but she _needed_ to.

_Just tell me you love him, Amu. Just tell me and I'll let go of this feeling._

Her feet carried her toward the gymnasium where she knew Amu would be. She was suddenly afraid. For the first time, she was actually scared of what her best friend might say to her. But she forced her legs to keep moving until the gym doors came into view.

She stopped to catch her breath as she watched students go in and out of the gym. A few seconds passed before a tuft of pink hair came into her view.

"Well…umm…thanks for today," she heard her best friend say to someone.

"Uhh…yeah…no problem. See you tomorrow?"

It took a second for Rima to place the second voice, but as students cleared out of the doorway she saw the unmistakable blue hair of that Ikuto boy from the movies.

_Oh yeah._

She'd forgotten about him. That poor guy. He didn't even realize his flirting was all for nothing. Though, if her conversation with Amu didn't go well, she could probably invite him out for an ice cream binge so they could indulge in their depression together. But she didn't have time to think about that now. The two had already separated and Amu was walking in the direction of their Math classroom.

Rima ran up to her and latched onto her arm.

"Eh?"

Her best friend turned around.

"R-Rima?" She saw Amu blush as soon as she recognized her.

"Come with me. We need to talk."

And without waiting for a response, she pulled Amu toward the closest bathroom. It would be empty once the bell rang for class to start.

"Wait, Rima. Where are we going?"

Rima ignored her as she pushed against the bathroom door. She poked her head in first to see if anyone was in there and was actually surprised to see it empty already. Opening the door fully, she pulled Amu into the room, shut the door, and turned to look at her best friend.

* * *

"What's going on, Rima?"

Amu's mind was still trying to process the last few seconds. A minute ago she was saying goodbye to Ikuto, and now she was standing here in the middle of a bathroom in front of a serious looking Rima. She did want to talk to Rima about Ikuto, but she didn't mentally prepare herself for the conversation to happen right now.

"Amu, I have one question to ask you, and I just want you to give me an honest answer."

Amu blushed as Rima's yellow eyes stared earnestly up into her own. The feeling in her stomach warned her that the question was going to be about Ikuto, but she still wasn't prepared for it.

"Are you in love with him, Amu?"

_What?_

Her heart started pounding mercilessly against her chest as Rima's words sunk in.

_Am I what?_

No. She wasn't in _love_ with him…was she? She liked Ikuto for sure. How could she not? Everything he did made her body go nuts. Whether she was angry or anxious or excited. In fact, she wasn't even sure if her body could tell the difference between her emotions anymore.

_But I'm not in _love _with him, right? There's no way._

Her mind battle must have been evident on her face because Rima suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand. And not in a mean or malicious way, but in a way that Amu could only describe as soft and loving.

"Amu, I won't be angry with you, okay?" Rima's eyes showed a hint of sadness in them. "Just be honest with me."

Amu remained speechless as her mind continued down its earlier path. Her heart beat was pounding through her head now.

_I mean…when you're in love with someone…_

She realized she had no idea how she was supposed to tell. What was the difference between liking someone and loving someone?

"I…I don't know," she finally answered.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Rima asked letting go of her hand.

"I mean I don't know!" She stammered a little angry that Rima had asked such a bold question. "How does anyone know? Do _you _love him?"

"No, I don't."

Amu stopped short at Rima's direct response.

"But," Rima continued, her face turning red, "I-I like him! I just—"

"Wait," Amu cut her off, "So how do you know it's just like and not love? How can you tell the difference?"

She honestly wanted to know the answer. Now that Rima had asked her, she suddenly didn't know her own feelings anymore.

"I-I don't know for sure," Rima started, "But I think you start to like someone when you realize they treat you specially. Different from other people, you know?"

Amu blushed at Rima's expression. Her best friend had averted her gaze to the floor and her face was getting increasingly more red. She could tell Rima was really struggling with something on the inside.

"Rima…" Amu instinctively reached out to her best friend.

"And when you love someone," Rima continued, "You still like them no matter how stupid, or ignorant, or stubborn they are about everything. You like them for their faults. And when something bad happens to them, you just want to wrap your arms around them and protect them."

Amu's eyes widened as Rima squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Her best friend was trembling where she stood, and all Amu could think to do was pull her into a tight hug. As her arms found their way to Rima's back, she felt Rima's fingers grip onto her shirt. Amu smiled against the top of Rima's head.

"We're so stupid, Rima. Letting some guy come between us like this."

"Yeah…I know," she heard Rima mumble against her shirt. "It's not my fault though."

Amu raised an eyebrow and pulled back to look at Rima.

"Are you saying it's _my_ fault?"

"No…It's…" she watched as Rima contemplated for a second. "It's my teacher's fault!"

_What?_

"Rima, what are you talking about? What teacher?"

"My cooking teacher!" Rima said as if that was the only possible answer.

Amu let go of her best friend and just stared at her.

"What does your cooking teacher have anything to do with this?"

"Well, if she had just let me switch cooking partners on the first day, I would never have forgiven him for groping me last year, and I'd still hate him. And then you and I wouldn't be in this situation."

Amu was beyond confused.

_Wait a minute…_

"Rima, are you talking about Nagihiko?"

Rima raised an eyebrow at her this time. "Yeah, who else? Weren't you talking about Nagihiko?"

"No. I was talking about Ikuto."

The two of them continued to stare at each other for a minute before both their eyes widened and they pointed at each other.

"You like Nagihiko?"

"You like Ikuto?"

Amu pressed a hand to her forehead as she shook her head.

"Rima, are you telling me that for the past two days, when I thought you confessed to Ikuto, you actually liked Nagihiko the whole time?"

"Well, no. I didn't realize that I actually liked Nagihiko until this morning—wait a minute, you thought I confessed to Ikuto? What the hell would I do that for? I don't even know the guy."

"I don't know! You looked so suspicious when I saw you guys in the library and you were blushing so I assumed that's what happened!"

"_I_ looked suspicious in the library? I brought Ikuto there because I wanted to interrupt your little alone time with Tadase. And then I stumbled upon you and Nagihiko with your arms around each other by the bathroom!"

"My alone time with Tadase? I stopped liking Tadase days ago. And after I saw you with Ikuto, I thought you had confessed and I was upset so I ran to the bathroom and accidentally ran into Nagihiko. I spilled the whole thing to him and he was trying to make me feel better!"

The two of them had gotten so worked up, they were panting now. Amu continued to stare at her best friend until suddenly Rima started laughing. At first, Amu raised an eyebrow, confused at her friend's reaction, but eventually found herself laughing as well.

"Wow, we really are dumb, aren't we?" She asked.

"Yeah, I can't believe you thought I liked Ikuto."

"Shut up. How was I supposed to know? I can't believe you actually like someone at all."

Rima blushed at this. "I know. Especially him of all people. I mean, I hated him. And what about you? Miss 'I could never like Ikuto.'"

It was Amu's turn to blush this time. "Yeah it kind of snuck up on me I guess."

"Yeah I know the feeling…"

A moment of silence passed between them before Rima suddenly spoke.

"So wait, where were you last night? Your mom was freaking out."

"Uhh…well I guess now that you don't like Ikuto, I can tell you…"

Rima raised an eyebrow at her.

"I slept at his apartment last night!" Amu blurted out as she pressed her hands against her cheeks to hide her embarrassment.

"You what? Oh my god, Amu. You did that when you thought I liked him? You bitch!" she yelled playfully. "When Nagihiko confessed to me, I rejected him because of you!"

Rima's eyes widened and she quickly covered her mouth.

"What did you just say, Rima? Nagihiko confessed to you? Oh my god! When?"

"Y-yesterday," Rima blushed. "He found me at the museum. It caught me completely off guard."

"What did he say to you?"

"He…He…" Amu watched Rima's face get redder as she tried to speak. "He said he was in love with me!"

Amu's eyes widened this time. She knew he'd felt that way about her, but still…she didn't expect him to tell her like that so suddenly. She figured he'd just tell her he liked her and go from there.

"Rima! This is so exciting! You like him too right!"

"Yes, but I don't _love_ him, Amu. There's a big difference. I feel like he deserves someone who can return his feelings."

"You do return his feelings, dumby! So what if you're not in _love _with him right now. Not everyone knows right away like Nagihiko. For most people, it takes time. You should just tell him."

"_Just tell him."_

Amu felt her cheeks heat up as her own words mirrored the ones Nagihiko had said to her before.

"Y-you're right, Amu. I-I will!"

Amu smiled as her best friend's cheeks turned bright pink.

"So go tell him!"

"I can't! He's not here today!"

"Hmm…okay so just wait until tomorrow."

"O-okay. Yeah."

"Yeah."

"So…I guess we should go to Math class now."

"Yeah, I guess we should."

As the two girls exited the bathroom, Amu looked down at her best friend.

"Hey Rima?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's never be that stupid ever again. I don't think my heart can handle it."

"Agreed."

* * *

But the next morning, Nagihiko wasn't in class again. Rima frowned as she walked back to their empty kitchen. She had barely slept last night as she tried to figure out what she was going to say to him today. She didn't want to go through that again.

_God Damnit, Nagihiko! Where are you?_

As she sat down, the teacher walked up to her.

"Rima, Nagihiko isn't going to be here again today. I just found out that he's sick with the flu. Do you mind working with Haru and Izumi again today?"

Rima grimaced at the names of those two boys. She wasn't in the mood to deal with them again.

"No. If it's okay, I'd much rather try by myself today."

Rima watched as a worried expression danced across her teacher's face.

_What? Does everyone think I'm helpless?_

"Uhh…if you're sure, Rima. We're making chicken noodle soup today."

"Yes, I'm sure."

If she couldn't even make soup by herself, she shouldn't be in this class at all.

_I'll show them I can do it. _

Once the teacher told them they could begin, Rima tied her apron and went to work. She put a pot of water on the stove to begin making the broth and moved over to the vegetable counter. She started with the carrots and slowly made her way to the onions. Once she was done, she took them over to the now boiling water and tossed them in along with the can of broth. As she lowered the heat, she looked up and saw that everyone else had already added their chicken.

_Don't get discouraged, Rima!_

She moved back to the cutting board and unwrapped the thawed chicken. It took her some time to cut through some of the fat, but she eventually finished and added the chopped chunks to the pot. All the other groups were already sitting in front of their finished bowls, waiting for it to cool so they could eat. Rima looked at the clock. She only had another ten minutes before the end of class, and the chicken had to cook for five minutes. She probably wasn't going to be able to eat her finished product.

She frowned at that as she stirred the broth in front of her. She didn't know why she expected that she'd be able to finish everything by herself in the same amount of time that all the other groups of two could. She wasn't Nagihiko after all. But she still considered herself better than those two idiots at the kitchen next to her, even if they had beaten her today.

"You know," her teacher started talking to the class, "They say chicken noodle soup is one of the best cures for colds. So anytime a friend or a family member gets sick, you guys can make this for them now!"

Rima's eyes widened at that statement. She looked at the clock again as she removed her pot from the stove. There's no way it would still be good by the time school ended…

"Teacher!" she yelled as her hand shot up into the air.

The teacher ran over and asked if she needed any help.

"No. Actually, I was just wondering if you had any sort of to-go containers. Like Tupperware or something that I can store this in? I don't think I'll have time to eat it."

"Well," the teacher contemplated for a second, "We do have some Tupperware."

"And that will keep it warm?"

"Not necessarily. The only thing we have like that is this insulated pot over here. It has a lid on it for storage, but even that won't last for the rest of the school day."

"No that's fine!" Rima exclaimed getting a little excited. "I don't need it for later, I need it for now."

The teacher raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't ask any questions as she went and retrieved the pot for Rima. Rima carefully poured the contents of her pot into the new insulated pot and quickly covered it with the lid. She hastily removed her apron, grabbed the pot, and speed-walked out the door just as the bell rang.

She had to get to the gym to find Ikuto before he left for his next class. She switched between running and walking as she tried to keep the pot steady in her hands. She managed to make it to the gym doors just as Amu and Ikuto were walking out.

"Ikuto!" she called out urgently.

The blue-haired boy looked around for a second before spotting her.

"Rima?" Amu called as they made their way over to her. "What's wrong. What's in that pot?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's chicken noodle soup," she answered quickly. "Ikuto, I need you to take me to Nagihiko's house."

"What?" he asked a little surprised. "Right now?"

Her best friend was also giving her a questionable look. She didn't have time for this. She was absolutely not going to give him cold soup.

"Yes, now! Nagihiko's sick. I want to take this to him," she said lifting up the pot.

Ikuto still looked hesitant, but she saw a smile appear on Amu's face. Amu quickly winked at Rima before turning to Ikuto and grabbing his hand.

"Come on, let's help her out," Amu said with a sweet smile.

Rima watched Ikuto's face turn beet red as he looked down at their hands, up at the smiling Amu, then over at Rima.

"F-fine," he stammered, "Let's go."

Rima raised an eyebrow at Amu as her best friend was pulled forward by Ikuto. Amu turned her head around and gave Rima a thumbs up with her free hand. She dismissed it for now and quickly followed behind them.

_I'll have to ask her about that one later…_

_

* * *

_"Well, here we are."

"_This_ is his house?"

Rima sat in awe as she stared at one of the largest houses she'd ever seen before. Nagihiko lived in a _very_ nice neighborhood. Like if someone had asked her to picture a mansion in her head, his house would make that mansion look like an apartment.

They pulled up to a large gate with the letter F imprinted on it and Ikuto wound down his window.

_F?_

"You've reached the Fujisaki residence," she heard the speakerbox next to Ikuto say.

_Oh right…Fujisaki…that's his last name._

"Hey, it's me. Ikuto."

"Welcome Master Tsukiyomi. The gate will open shortly."

She heard the speakerbox click off as the gate in front of them slowly started to open.

"_Master_ Tsukiyomi?" Amu laughed. "Right."

"Shut up," he teased back. "I've asked them not to call me that, but they insist."

"Ikuto," Rima finally interrupted, "What exactly do Nagihiko's parents do?"

"I don't know the specifics," he said, "but they have some sort of connection with the government."

"Oh."

Rima's heart was pounding now. Her grip tightened on the pot in her lap. She tried not to think about the fact that the boy she was about to confess to was _exceedingly_ wealthy. She already felt unworthy enough for him as it was. Thinking about their difference in status was just going to discourage her further.

But she also couldn't help smiling to herself. She'd always thought of rich people as stuck up and snobby. And most of them went to wealthy, stuck-up schools. But Nagihiko wasn't like that at all. He was generous and kind despite how much money he had.

She took a deep breath as they pulled around the circle to the front door, which was unusually normal sized compared to the rest of the house. Ikuto put the car in park and she watched him get out and open her door. Her hands were shaking now as she exited the car with the pot.

"Calm down, Rima."

She looked up to see Ikuto giving her a worried look.

"Yeah, Rima," Amu added, "You already know how he feels about you. It'll be easy."

_Easy for them to say._

She didn't care what anybody said. Confessing to someone was _not_ easy. Regardless of how the other party felt. People change. Feelings change. And she'd rejected him so rudely before. What if he didn't want to see her at all?

_This is stupid. What am I even doing? Bringing him soup?_

She shook her head forcing those thoughts out of her mind. She was already here.

_Please don't hate me._

They walked up to the front door and it immediately opened as they reached it. Rima and Amu looked at each other with a raised eyebrow, but they just followed an unphased Ikuto inside. They entered a large waiting area with black and white tile floors and several white and black couches. The room was high enough for a giraffe to fit in comfortably. A large red staircase traveled up to Rima's right.

"Greetings, Master Tsukiyomi."

Two maids popped out from behind the door and closed it behind them.

"Hey. This is Amu. And this is Rima," he said pointing to each of them.

"Welcome Lady Amu, Lady Rima," the maids said mid-curtsy.

"Uhh…hi there," Amu replied.

"H-hello," Rima managed to say. Her hands were shaking again.

"We only informed Master Fujisaki of Master Tsukiyomi's arrival. Please wait while we inform him of the other guests."

Rima paled. What if he refused to see her? In her head, she had planned to just burst in through his house and up to his room and just blurt everything out before she could stop herself. But all this wait time was making her feel nauseous. She hadn't planned for gates and maids and the like. And if they announced her arrival, she was certain he wouldn't come out.

"Ah, no that's okay," she heard Ikuto say. "They were kinda hoping to surprise him."

The maids blinked, a little confused, but curtsied still, "As you wish."

The maids left silently and Rima let out a sigh of relief. This was too much for her.

"His room is up the stairs to the right. His name's on it. You can't miss it."

Her face flushed as she looked up at Ikuto and Amu who were smiling down at her.

"We'll wait here for you, Rima," Amu said in a comforting tone.

"R-right. Th-thanks."

_This is it. Just do it, Rima. Just get it overwith._

_

* * *

_Nagihiko rolled onto his stomach shoving his face into the large pile of pillows on his bed. He just couldn't do it. He couldn't show his face in school. Not in front of Rima.

"_I-I'm sorry, Nagihiko!"_

He replayed that conversation in the park over in his head for the thousandth time since then. Her face had made him so sure that she was going to accept his feelings. And then her phone went off and suddenly she wanted nothing to do with him.

"Ugh, I hate girls," he groaned.

He knew that wasn't true, though. He still loved her. Just as much as before. That's why it hurt so much. The dull pang in his heart just wouldn't go away. If he wasn't thinking about that conversation, he was picturing her. Her smile. Her angry face. Her crazy spider dance. All of it. He loved all of it.

"Damnit!" He growled as he punched the mattress.

This was all Amu's fault really. She'd gotten him so worked up with her stupidity and made him go confess like that so suddenly. He'd have to talk to Ikuto about that whenever he finally did make it back to school.

Suddenly the speakerbox on the table next to him beeped loudly so he reached a hand out to answer it.

"Yes?"

"Master Fujisaki, Master Tsukiyomi is here to see you."

"Alright, send him up."

He guessed Ikuto must've skipped school again. He didn't know what was going on with that boy all the sudden so he was glad he had come over. It'd been awhile since they had a good talk. He rolled over onto his back while he waited.

After a couple minutes, there was a knock at his door.

_Finally._

"Come on in, Ikuto. What took you so long?" He asked as he continued to stare at his ceiling.

"U-umm…"

Nagihiko lifted his upper body and immediately shot upward after he saw who was in his room. His face flushed.

"R-Rima?"

His mind reeled as he stared at her. Was he dreaming? The girl who stole his heart and then ripped it in half was standing in the middle of his bedroom. She stood there in her school uniform carrying a large silver pot in her hands. Her cheeks were bright pink and she was trying her best not to look him in the eye.

"N-Nagihiko," she started.

His blush deepened at the way she stuttered his name.

"I-I heard you were s-sick so I brought you some s-soup."

His breath caught as she finally worked up the courage to look at him.

"I made it in class today. I didn't get a chance to taste it, so it might not be very good, b-but I…I wanted…I…" she trailed off.

He knew his face must be blood red at the moment. But the Rima standing in front of him right now was so adorable, his body couldn't handle it. And she'd made him soup because he was "sick". His heart was practically pounding out of his chest.

Without finishing her sentence, she walked up to him and placed the pot on the table next to his bed. He watched as her face grew even redder.

"I-I didn't bring a bowl or even a sp-spoon for you to eat with. I'm sorry!"

She looked away again.

"I-I'll go get some real quick," she stammered before turning to leave.

"Wait, Rima," he reached out and took hold of her arm. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" He finally asked, his face reddening.

"I brought you soup," she said turning back to him.

"No…I mean…you rejected me right? My heart can't take you coming in here and acting like nothing happened."

He forced himself to look at her. They were at eye level as she stood next to his bed. She stared at him in silence for what seemed like hours.

"If…If you don't have anything to say," he looked away again, "Please leave."

He heard her let out a small gasp next to him and then felt her arm start to tremble in his hand. Shocked, he looked over at her again. Tears were welling up in her eyes and her hands clenched into fists at her side.

"God Damnit, Nagihiko! I do have something to say!" She burst out.

His eyes widened at her sudden reaction. "Ah, Rima…"

"You know what I did today? I made an entire thing of chicken noodle soup by myself! You know why? Because _you_ didn't show up."

"Uhh…"

"You know what I did yesterday? I was forced to make pepper steak with these two asshole boys because _you_ didn't show up!"

"Rima…"

"And you know what else?" she asked suddenly grabbing a pillow from his bed.

Before he knew it, his face came in contact with cotton.

"Ow! Rima!"

_Seriously? She just hit me with my own pillow!_

"All. *Whack* I. *Whack* Could. *Whack* Think. *Whack* About. *Whack* Was You! *Whack Whack*"

He reached out and grabbed the pillow from her, throwing it aside. She continued to stare at him, panting now.

"Wait, what?" He asked, finally processing her words.

Her cheeks flushed again.

"Ever since that day," she said in a serious tone, "I can't get you out of my head."

His heart rate picked up as she continued.

"I think about you when I wake up. And when I go to school. And when I go to bed. Even when I'm cutting vegetables!" she yelled. "You're always there!

His cheeks were on fire now as he stared at her. Did this mean what he thought it did? His head was pounding along with his heart now.

"W-what I'm trying to say," she continued, "Is…is…that I like you, Nagihiko!"

She suddenly slapped her hands over her face in embarrassment. His heart felt like it had just burst open. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh or what. He was numb, yet he felt everything.

"I know you said you lo…that you l-love me," she mumbled behind her hands. "And I know that j-just liking you isn't as g-good, but…"

"Rima…" he was smiling now. He couldn't help it. The girl he was in love with, who he thought didn't like him at all, was standing in front of him now, confessing to him. He reached out and removed her hands from her face.

"I-It's not my fault!" she yelled at him as he smiled up at her. "You don't have any faults! How am I supposed to love you for your faults if you don't have any!"

His eyes widened at her question. She was looking at him with that angry face of hers. Like she was seriously mad at him for it.

"Trust me, Rima. I have faults."

"No you don't!" She yelled again.

"Yes, I do!"

"No! You don't! You're good at everything! And you're also nice, and sweet, and—"

He gave up fighting with her and cut her off, pulling her toward him. He pressed her face into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"It's not fair," she mumbled against his chest.

He pulled back and looked at her. He blushed at how close her face was to his, those big yellow eyes staring up into his.

"Look Rima, I don't care if you only _like _me. That's enough for me. Trust me," he said, his blush deepening, "It's more than I was even hoping for."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Especially after you just ran off like that. I didn't think I'd ever be able to face you again."

"That's because I thought Amu liked you!"

"What?"

He reached out and flicked her on the forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For being ridiculous."

"Yes, thank you, I realized that," she said, rubbing her forehead, "That really hurt, you know?"

He removed her hand, used his other one to brush her bangs aside, and leaned forward pressing his lips against the spot.

* * *

Rima closed her eyes as she felt his soft lips press against her forehead. She was blushing, but she didn't really care. She'd made it here. And he still wanted to be with her. She hadn't predicted that she'd get so emotional during her confession, but it all worked out.

"Sorry I hit you with the pillow," she said randomly as she opened her eyes again. She couldn't believe she had actually attacked him while she confessed. He leaned back and smiled at her. Her blush returned. Suddenly, he reached a hand up and lightly caressed her cheek.

"I love you," he said.

Her breath caught as he pulled her into him. Their lips touched and she unconsciously squeezed the hand that had been holding hers. He squeezed back lightly as his mouth moved against hers. The kiss only lasted a few seconds. It wasn't passionate or hot or anything of the sort. But it was gentle and sweet, and she could tell he meant what he said.

"Damnit," she whispered as they separated. "It's not fair. I can't say it."

"Well," he said, pressing their foreheads together, "I guess you have some catching up to do."

"Actually, I think it means you have some impressing to do," she teased.

"You mean this house isn't enough?"

She raised an eyebrow and stared at him.

_He's got to be kidding me…_

He laughed at her expression. "Fine. Well until then, I'd like to try some of Rima's homemade chicken noodle soup."

She paled. "Umm…I don't think that's a good idea."

"Come on, Rima. I'm sure it's not that bad."

"No, really. Please don't eat it."

* * *

Nagihiko pulled Rima along with him as they made their way downstairs. Once she had told him Amu and Ikuto were downstairs waiting for her, he wanted to be the first to tell them the good news. He looked back and smiled as he saw the blush on Rima's face.

He still couldn't believe everything that happened just now. She was really here, standing next to him, holding his hand. As they reached the bottom, he stopped suddenly causing Rima to bump into his back.

"What the—"

"Shh…" he whispered putting a finger up to his lips.

"Oh," Rima mouthed looking past him.

Amu and Ikuto were sound asleep on the couch in front of them. Amu laid against Ikuto with her head against his shoulder, and his head rested snugly against hers. And inbetween them laid their two hands, fingers interlaced with one another.

"Must be tired from their rough night last night," Rima whispered.

"What?" he turned to look at her.

"Oh you didn't hear?" she asked. "Apparently Amu slept over his house last night. She claims it was an 'accident' though."

"How the hell did that happen?"

"I donno. Something about a scary movie."

"Right…so neither of them have confessed yet."

"Nope."

"Guess we'll have to keep playing matchmaker then."

"Matchmaker_s_, you mean. We're a team, you know."

"Yeah, I know," he lead her back towards the kitchen, "Let's get some spoons for that soup."

"What? Look, I really rushed that soup at the end so I could get it here in time. I don't even think the chicken is cooked all the way!"

"Hey Rima?" he asked, ignoring her.

"What?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

"I love you," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips. He smiled as her face flushed ten shades of red.

"S-Stop saying that!"

* * *

**A/N: Holy cow. I really mean it this time when I say LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! This is literally 3 times as long as one of my normal chapters. But I promised I would get through everything I had planned on for once. And I did! Some parts bother me, but I don't feel like changing it at this point. If you're wondering why Nagihiko is randomly rich, it's because I originally created that scene a while back with the idea of a sequel in mind where it becomes relevant. I haven't completely dismissed the idea of a sequel yet so I decided to keep it that way. Sorry if that threw you off a little. **

**And hopefully Rima's confession didn't disappoint! I apologize if it did! I have to admit, it felt a little anti-climactic to me, but I don't know how to fix it so I decided to just post it anyway! And sorry again that it takes so long to get to that point, but my good pal Stray Dreamer is going on vacation for a week and won't have internet access so I wanted to leave her a SUPER LONG chapter to read before she left! So if you're upset about the length, blame her :D.**

**Well, can't wait to see what you guys think! I'm only planning on writing one more chapter. It will be fairly long (though not nearly as long as this one) since it is the final one. I promise not to leave Amuto fans wanting for anything at the end of it! (Except perhaps a sequel if I do decide to do it.)**

**See you guys in the final chapter!**


	25. Reassurances

**A/N: FINALLY! I have updated this story!**

**I just want to start out saying that, aside from a 3-week long wire problem that caused my house to be able to access the internet, I have no excuse for taking this long to update. Knowing this, I will accept any and all flames and criticisms related to my lack of punctuality as a writer. **

**It may not seem like it, but I was honestly ALWAYS thinking about this story, but I didn't know how to proceed for awhile. I also work 40 hours a week now which cuts into my available time quite a bit, but I still definitely could've sat down and wrote on one of my days off over the last two months. So, like I said, it really boiled down to a lack of confidence in me being able to present you with an amazing ending.**

**On that same note, this is NOT the last chapter of the story. I know. I can't believe it either. But I wanted to delve more into the Rimahiko part of it before I moved on to Amuto. So this short (in comparison to the last) chapter is a continuation of that as well as a means for me to inform you all that I am still alive and working on this story. **

**I plan to get started on the next segment tomorrow. I was trying to round this story off at a nice chapter number like 25, but I've given up on that, and will no longer try and cram everything into one chapter. But for real this time, there will be (at most) 2 chapters left. Followed by an Utau-centered sidestory afterword that I think all Kutau fans will enjoy. :D**

**But enough of my yapping, I basically sat down and decided to type what I could before I had to go out this evening, and this is what resulted. Hope you guys enjoy it. And I also hope you can forgive my discretions here. Once again, feel free to vent it all out in your review. I will accept it all completely and not judge you for it I promise!**

**

* * *

**

Amu stirred from her slumber as the sound of two people arguing permeated her ears.

"I'm serious! Please don't eat it."

"It can't be that bad. Just let me try it!"

Her eyes opened slowly and she sat upright, gradually taking in her surroundings. She was in a large open room with a black and white color scheme. Across from her was a curved staircase leading up to a vast hallway.

_Where am I?_

Why was she always waking up in strange places recently?

"Fine! But I'm trying it first!"

"Rima, it's not like you accidentally added poison!"

Amu stilled as she processed the words. _Rima? _She was suddenly conscious of a distinct warmth consuming her left hand, and her eyes opened wider as she looked in that direction. Ikuto was sound asleep as his head rested on the arm of the couch. Her cheeks reddened as she noted the way his long, dark eyelashes accented the pale skin of his face, and she couldn't resist the urge to reach her hand out and swipe his bangs away from his eyes.

This action caused him to stir slightly but he soon resumed his soft snoring. Amu smiled at this. Here she was, sitting and holding hands with the boy she liked. As she continued to stare at him, the warmth from his hand spread to her heart as well. He was so much more now than that asshole she'd been forced to partner with in gym class.

"You're being ridiculous now, Rima. Now let go so I can go up and grab the pot."

Amu was brought back to reality as the voices came closer.

"No! You'll have to drag me if you want to move."

"Fine."

She could hear the sound of rubber scraping along tile as she suspected Rima was actually being dragged behind as Nagihiko made his way toward the stairs.

_That means they're coming this way!_

She softly, but quickly, removed her hand from Ikuto's and moved over to the empty side of the couch so Rima and Nagihiko wouldn't get the wrong idea as they came by. Her earlier suspicions were soon confirmed as she saw Nagihiko's body grunt its way through the opening on the other side of the large waiting room. When her best friend came into view, heels sliding against the floor as both hands grasped Nagihiko's right arm, Amu's memory finally returned.

Rima had come here however many minutes or hours earlier to confess to Nagihiko. And apparently Ikuto and herself had fallen asleep while waiting for the verdict.

_The fact that they're talking and interacting at all must mean it went well, right?_

"This…," Nagihiko panted, "is…stupid."

Amu realized they hadn't noticed her yet as Nagihiko came to a stop causing a pulling Rima to almost come crashing to the floor. The blond regained her footing and retightened her grip on the boy's arm as he turned to face her. She stared up at him defiantly, silently informing him that she was not going to give in.

"Rima," Nagihiko said, his features softening into a smile.

Amu watched Rima's eyes widen as he reached down with his free hand to cup her face. Rima's cheeks reddened instantly and Amu felt her own heat up as well. Time seemed to pass slower as Nagihiko leaned down and captured her best friend's lips with his own, and Amu slapped a hand to her mouth to hide the sound of her gasp.

Rima's grip on his arm loosened and her arms eventually fell to her sides. Amu couldn't peel her eyes away as Nagihiko used his now free hand to cup the other side of Rima's face. Her own face felt like it was on fire now, and she watched as the two finally separated.

"Gotcha!" Nagihiko said suddenly.

Both Amu and Rima's jaw dropped as he quickly released his hold on the blond and took off at a run for the stairs. Suddenly realizing her own presence, Amu quickly feigned sleep as she heard Nagihiko's footsteps pass by her, soon followed by Rima's.

"I can't believe you did that, you jerk!"

This outburst caused Ikuto to stir next to her. She heard a small groan escape his lips, and she opened her eyes slightly to ensure Rima had disappeared up the stairs before opening them fully. Her heartbeat had finally started to calm down from all the events she had just beheld, but upon seeing Ikuto wake up and rub his eyes through a slow yawn, her heart quickly resumed its accelerated beat.

He hazily looked over at her causing her face to heat up, and his eyes widened after registering who she was. She watched a pink tint form on his cheeks as well as he continued to stare at her with a confused look on his face.

"W-what?" she stuttered.

"Nothing," he muttered as he looked away, glancing around the room to figure out where they were.

_That was weird…_

"Wait…did I fall asleep while Rima confessed to Nagihiko?" He asked suddenly.

"Uhh…yeah. I did too I think."

"Wow. How long were we out for? Is she still up there?"

Amu's felt her face flush red as she tried to figure out how to tell Ikuto what she witnessed prior to his awakening. It must've been obvious because his features changed to a confused expression all the sudden.

"What happened?"

"Umm…"

Ikuto just stared at her with a raised eyebrow as she struggled to articulate her thoughts. Why couldn't she just say it? That she saw them…_kiss._ It was then that Amu realized that her previously love-shunning spinster of a best friend got her first kiss before she did.

_The world is so unfair…_

Unfortunately, that train of thought led her to thinking about kissing Ikuto, further enhancing her flushed skin and inability to speak.

"Amu, you're really worrying me here. You look like you're about to pass out."

He leaned toward her as if to inspect her face, and she immediately hopped up off the couch to prevent her head and heart from exploding.

"S-sorry," she managed to spurt out, refusing to turn around and look at him. "I'll…I'll go check on them."

She moved to run up the stairs but was pulled back by a wrist clasping onto her arm. She forced herself to turn and look at him now.

"Wait, Amu. Don't do that. You might be interrupting! What if she's still confessing?"

"She's not!" Amu shouted louder than was necessary.

"How do you know?"

"Cause I saw them," she started, her face reddening again. "I saw them…"

"You saw them what?" His grip tightened on her arm.

"I saw them kiss!" she finally blurted out, her face now a tomato.

She watched as Ikuto's face started to mirror her own and they stood in silence for a few moments.

"Oh…well…I'm happy for them then," he finally said as he avoided looking at her.

"Yeah…me too."

_Why are things so awkward?_

* * *

Rima burst through the bedroom door just as Nagihiko was dipping his spoon into the soup pot. She rushed toward him as he quickly shoved the spoon into his mouth.

"No!"

She stopped just short of him as his eyes widened suddenly. She covered her face with her hands upon seeing his reaction.

"I told you it was bad! You should've listened to me!"

"What are you talking about, Rima? It tastes delicious!"

She slowly removed her hands from her face and watched as he dipped his spoon in and took another bite.

"What? There's no way."

"Try some if you don't believe me."

She took the spoon he held out to her and sampled her soup. Her face took on a shocked expression as she let the concoction trickle down her throat. He was right. It was good.

"But I made it by myself," she muttered in disbelief as she stared down at the soup.

"That's right."

She looked over to see him smiling down at her.

"Without your help."

"Yep."

The spoon-filled hand dropped to her side as she let it all sink in. She had made an entire meal on her own, without those jerks in cooking class, even without asking the teacher for help. Unable to stop herself, she hurled herself against Nagihiko wrapping her arms around him.

"I did it!" She exclaimed, smiling up at him. "I cooked my own meal!"

Her face faltered for a second as he moved a hand up to his face, shielding his gaze from hers.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

When he didn't answer, she let go of him and forcefully moved his hand away. She was met with a red-faced Nagihiko. Her own face started to heat up just looking at him.

"What the hell are you making that face for?" she yelled, shielding her own face now.

"Don't get upset with me. You're the one who had to go and smile like that."

"What? I'm not allowed to smile in front of you?"

"N-no! That's not what I meant! It…it just makes me really happy when you get all happy like that and I can't help myself."

Rima's blush deepened at his words. He was avoiding her gaze again, his face reddening even more as well.

"I'm sorry, Rima," he continued, falling back to take a seat on his bed. "This is all just so surreal still. I'm still not even sure if this is all real right now. I'm still afraid I'll wake up soon and this will have all been a dream."

Rima's heart was pounding mercilessly against her chest now, and his sad expression made her comforting instincts kick in. Being with him like this just reinforced in her mind that her feelings for him were much more than just friendship. She didn't like seeing him this way.

She closed the distance between them and grabbed hold of his wrist. He looked up at her now as she moved his hand to the left side of her chest. His face flushed a color of red she'd never seen before.

"Rima, what are you—"

"Do you feel that?" she asked, her face as red as his again. They were at eye level now and he was searching her eyes for some clue as to what she was doing.

"That's my heartbeat. And it's real. This isn't a dream. I…I like you, Nagihiko."

Her face may have been red, but she continued to stare at him intently, determined to convince him of her feelings. But the silence become too much for her to handle.

"But," she said as she dropped his hand, "If you ever pull a fast one on me again like you did downstairs, I'll kill you."

* * *

Nagihiko's face faltered for a second before his mouth opened in a smile. This girl was just too much for him. One second she was yelling at him, the next she was hugging him happily, and now she was expressing her feelings to him yet again. And after all that, she could still say something to make him laugh.

He reached out for her waist and pulled her toward him so that their faces were only inches apart. Her warmth engulfed him as he watched the redness dance across her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Rima," he whispered. "I'll do my best, but I can't promise you I won't kiss you spontaneously in the future. I love you so much that sometimes I can't stop myself."

He blushed as he said this but not nearly as much as she did. He tightened his grip on her waist, causing her lips to move even closer, her breath mixing with his.

"Rima," he said, his eyes dancing between her eyes and lips. "Can I kiss you?"

"Idiot," was all she said before closing the remaining distance between them. Her arms snaked around his neck as he moved his lips against hers. He loved how warmth spread throughout his body every time he kissed her.

"Rima," he said as they separated, "I lov—"

He was silenced by a finger against his mouth and a shaking head. After a few seconds, she removed her finger and he started to speak again.

"But—"

This time he was cut off by her lips on his again. His shock melted into a smile as he kissed her back. She was definitely a sly one. He didn't realize this about her before, but he was already starting to like that part of her. She wasn't going to win this battle though. He pulled away from her again.

"Rima—"

"Please don't," she interrupted again as she leaned into him and pressed her forehead against his chest.

"But I want to."

"But I can't."

"I don't care."

"I do."

"Why?"

"Cause it makes me feel guilty."

"That's stupid."

"You're stupid."

"…"

"Why can't you wait?"

"Because I want you to know."

"But I already know."

He pushed her back so she was looking at him again.

"I don't want you to ever forget."

He watched her face flush.

"H-how could I forget something so important?"

"I don't know. But you definitely won't if I tell you every day will you?"

"I won't forget, I promise."

"Fine. Reason number two."

"What?"

"I've been keeping it inside for a long time. And it was an awful feeling. I don't ever want to go through that again if I can help it. But if the only thing you feel from me saying it is guilt, I'll stop."

He tried to force a smile as he said this. She pressed her forehead against his chest again and mumbled something into it.

"What?"

"I said it makes me happy!" she blurted, pulling away again. Her face reflected half shyness, half anger and having to repeat herself.

He practically let out a sigh of relief at her words.

"I…I don't want you to suppress yourself," she said, "so I'll stomach the guilt as best I can until I catch up with you."

She said this in a completely serious tone, as if she was accepting a challenge. He half-expected her to shake his hand as a form of contract or something. But she just continued to stand there, staring at him with that adorable, stubborn look on her face. He smiled as he stood up and grabbed her hand.

"I love you, Rima."

He had to hold back a laugh as he watched her face flush as she tried to tame her features to stop them from reacting in any way to his words. He tugged on her arm pulling her to him again and he placed a small peck on her lips.

"I love you," he repeated.

"Yeah…" she whispered to him before he kissed her again.

"I really love you."

He leaned forward again and this time he swore he felt her lips crack into smile against his own.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! So I pretty much said all I needed to say in the note at the beginning of this chapter so I will make this note brief. Thanks to everyone who read it. I hope you share your thoughts with me in a review but I won't hate you if you don't! **

**And I will hopefully be posting again within the next two weeks at most. And it will be Amuto-focused from now on with little Rimahiko moments thrown in. I will finish this story before the end of August when I have to move back into college. I apologize again for the long hiatus between the last chapter and this one. **


	26. So Close, Yet So Far Away

**A/N: *Holds up white surrender flag***

**I. Am. So. Sorry.**

**I don't even have a good excuse for taking so long to write this chapter. So I'm not even going to waste your time trying to come up with one. I'm just an awful person. That's really all there is to it. Please feel free to throw rotten fruit and stones at me. I deserve it.**

**That being said, here is the Second-to-last chapter. I made sure to write a lot to hold you over until the last chapter, which should be out soon as well. I would also recommend you reread the last like two or three chapters just to catch yourself up. I would tell you to read the whole thing since it's been so long, but that requires quite a bit of time.**

**I'm sorry again for being such an asshole writer. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Congratulations you guys!"

Ikuto smiled and echoed Amu's words to Rima and Nagihiko. They had finally come downstairs and delivered the good news. Nagihiko was smiling proudly as he held tight to Rima's hand while the blond stood quietly, redness quickly spreading across her face.

"And Nagihiko…" Amu started.

"…Yes?"

"As Rima's best friend, I have to tell you that if you ever make her cry, I will not hesitate to kick your ass."

Ikuto snorted in a failed attempt to keep himself from laughing.

"What the hell was that for?" She asked as she landed a good smack on his arm.

"Uhh, nothing. Just having a hard time picturing it is all. Miss zero-push-ups."

"Ugh. Don't be an ass!"

This time he was hit with several smacks in succession, and he laughed openly now as he reached out and took hold of her wrist before she could slap him again. She blushed and quickly pulled her hand away.

"Besides," he pointed out as he rubbed his arm, "More often than not, it'll be him crying if she takes him to any more scary movies."

He heard Rima giggle as he looked at his best friend. Nagihiko was glaring at him and dropped Rima's hand in defiance, but she continued to laugh.

"So Amu," Nagihiko said, "Do you want to go have fun together and we'll let these two smart asses enjoy themselves here?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Nagihiko," Amu responded. "Let's go."

Ikuto smirked and watched as the two of them pretended to walk toward the front door. He looked down at Rima who was staring at their backs with a raised eyebrow.

"Wow, Rima. I'm sorry you have to constantly be around these people who can't take a joke."

Rima opened her mouth to respond but was immediately cut off by Amu's voice.

"Well maybe you should tell jokes that are actually funny."

He looked in Amu's direction to see her glaring at him with her arms crossed over her chest. He walked over to her and she looked away as if dismissing his presence. He leaned over her.

"Rima laughed, so it must have been funny. Perhaps you need a better sense of humor."

"Being afraid of scary movies is not something you should laugh at someone for. It's just mean." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's not what you said two days ago…"

His smile widened and he watched the blush creep across her face as her jaw dropped.

"Hey married couple! Are you guys coming or what?"

Ikuto looked past Amu to see Nagihiko and Rima exiting through the front door.

"We're going out to lunch," his best friend explained before they could ask.

His eyes returned to a blushing Amu and he was immediately drawn to her parted lips yet again.

_Damn her…_

"Right behind you guys!" He called out as he reached forward and lifted her chin to close her mouth.

"You know I hate it when you do that," she said, blushing still.

"Maybe I'd stop if you'd laugh at my jokes more," he teased before walking past her.

The maids entered the room just then, and must've noticed they were leaving.

"Thank you for visiting, Master Tsukiyomi, Lady Amu," they said as they curtsied.

He nodded to them in response and heard Amu scoff as she caught up to him.

"I'm sorry for not pleasing you, _Master. _I feel bad for your future wife who'll have to pretend to laugh at your jokes."

He laughed at this as they walked toward his car where Rima and Nagihiko were waiting. He opened the passenger side door and bowed before gesturing for Amu to get in. She raised her eyebrow at him but didn't fight him about it. When she settled in he leaned in toward her.

"Well, _Lady_ Amu. I feel bad for your future husband who won't be able to sleep at night because of your snoring."

"I do not snore!" She retorted, her face instantly going pink.

"I beg to differ," he said as he shut the door for her.

He smiled to himself as he walked around to the driver's side. He remembered her falling asleep against him on the couch after Rima had walked up the stairs to see Nagihiko. He'd fought the urge to wrap his arms around her and settled for her hand instead. He really hoped that in the future it was him that was going to be woken up by those snores.

* * *

"So? What happened?" Amu asked finally as she closed her bedroom door behind Rima.

"What do you mean, what happened? We told you already!"

Rima dropped her school bag on Amu's bed and turned to face her. She blushed immediately upon seeing her best friend grinning at her. They had decided not to return to school after lunch and asked Ikuto to drop them back off at Amu's place.

"Well yeah, I realize it went well, but I want to hear the details!"

Rima watched Amu plop down on the bed next to her and stare up at her with excited eyes. It's not that she didn't want to share. It was just embarrassing. Her face flushed even more just thinking about it.

"Come on, Rima! What did you say once you saw him?"

She finally forced herself to sit down next to her best friend and explained what happened.

"You hit him with a pillow?"

"I was angry, okay? I went through a lot of crap with him being absent these past two days. He basically dismissed me before I could explain myself!"

"Okay, okay!" Amu laughed. "So then what?"

"Well then I told him that I liked him, and that I had only rejected him before because I thought you liked him. And then…"

Rima felt her temperature rise.

"And then what?" Amu asked, waiting for her to finish.

"He…" she thought steam was going to come out of her ears. "He kissed me."

She immediately slapped her hands to her cheeks to hide her embarrassment.

"I'm so jealous! How was it?"

"Jealous? It's the most heart-pounding thing I've ever experienced. I thought I was going to die!"

Amu laughed again. "Please, Rima. You say that as if it's a bad thing. Besides, I saw that kiss he gave you before you guys went back upstairs. Looked pretty intense."

She was absolutely certain her face was going to melt off now.

"Oh my god! You saw that?"

"Calm down, Rima. It's not that embarrassing. Kissing is something normal couples do."

"Yes, thank you, Amu. But still, two weeks ago I'd never even thought about kissing a guy and now all the sudden I have a boyfriend."

Rima fell back against the bed.

"This doesn't even feel real."

"Well get used to it, Rima. Because I'm pretty sure Nagihiko isn't ever going to let you go."

* * *

Amu laughed again as she teased her best friend. She watched Rima's face get even redder than before.

"God, can we talk about something else, please," Rima begged. "My brain can't handle this anymore. What about you and Ikuto? You guys seemed pretty flirty today."

It was Amu's turn to blush. She and Ikuto had seemed to revert back to their sarcastic, joking atmosphere today, which she was thankful for. All the hand-holding and blushing had gone straight to her head, and her mind needed a break from all that confusion.

"I have no idea what's going on, Rima," she sighed as she let her head fall back on her pillow.

"I mean, I definitely like him," she continued. "But I'm not sure what he thinks of everything."

"Well, I think he likes you."

"What?" Her head shot back up, "Why do you say that?"

Rima gave her a blank stare. "Gee, Amu. I don't know…Maybe it's because he blushes whenever you get too close to him. Or maybe it's because he teases you constantly."

Amu blushed. "Yeah but I feel those things are just natural behavior. He could do that around other girls too for all I know."

"Perhaps. But I've never seen him around other girls, have you? I've never even heard him talk about another girl."

She searched her memory for a time she'd seen him interact with other girls. The only one she could think of was his sister, which didn't really help much.

"What about on the first day of school?" Rima asked. "Didn't you say he was surrounded by a whole bunch of girls and he was ignoring them?"

"Well…yeah. I guess. But I mean, they were pretty annoying so that's understandable."

"Stop it, Amu!" Rima smacked Amu's leg.

"Ow! What?"

"Stop coming up with some sort of excuse for all these signs that show that he likes you. Yes, maybe he does act flirtatious normally. And maybe that particular group of girls was annoying. But maybe he flirts with you and not with them because he likes you!"

Amu's heart was beating loudly in her chest now. She knew Rima had a point. It did make sense. And she had felt that there was something between them lately. But she was so scared of being wrong.

"So what are you saying, Rima? That I should confess?"

"Well, ideally, yes. And trust me, Amu. I know it's scary. I was literally shaking all morning. But now that it's over, it was worth it, you know?"

Amu couldn't help but smile at the sight of her best friend's expression. She really was happy that Rima could finally experience love. She just wasn't sure her own ending would be as happy.

"You're right," she sighed.

_I just don't know if I'm ready for his response._

* * *

The next day, Ikuto entered the school building with bags under his eyes. This whole Amu business was causing him to lose sleep. After all that had happened, they were back to their usual, comfortable behavior. Which was much less nerve-wracking but wasn't getting him anywhere.

He sighed as he trudged toward his locker. _Being in love sucks._

He knew he didn't mean it. But he couldn't help thinking it anyway. He hadn't really been trying to hide his feelings for her since he discovered them, but he didn't know if she saw him that way at all. It's true she didn't recoil at the touch of his hand, and she blushed a lot around him, but what if she just didn't know any better? Judging by her long-distance crush on Tadase, he was certain Amu had little, if any, experience in that area.

He reached his locker and began switching around his needed materials for the day. The Tadase matter was an obstacle of its own. She hadn't really talked about him at all, but he remembered seeing them together at the library. They were obviously on speaking terms now. And no matter how he looked at it, that couldn't be a good sign for his chances.

Ikuto placed his last book in his locker as the blond boy in question appeared next to him. His hand froze for a second as he nonchalantly peered over at Tadase. Ikuto scowled.

_He always has that stupid smile plastered to his face. _

Just then, Tadase looked over at him, and Ikuto snapped his head back and shoved the book in his locker. He closed the locker with a little more force than he intended, causing Tadase to take on a worried expression.

"Everything alright?" The blond asked.

_Shit._

"Uhh, yeah. Sorry about that."

He reached for his bag, trying to get out of there as quickly as possible. He didn't care how friendly or nice the guy was, he was still a rival. Suddenly, a soft voice interrupted the awkward silence between them.

"Good morning, Tadase."

Ikuto glanced over to see a short brunette walk up to Tadase with a smile. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ah, good morning, Hina. Just one second."

Tadase quickly finished what he was doing, shut his locker, reached out for the girl's hand, and started to walk away. Ikuto's eyes widened.

_Wait…hand-holding?_

"Tadase!"

The name left Ikuto's mouth before he could stop himself. He watched as the two stopped and looked back at him with a curious expression.

"Yes, Ikuto?"

"Oh, uhh…is that your…girlfriend?"

He felt his face glow with embarrassment. He couldn't believe he'd even called out to the boy in the first place, but at this point he might as well figure it out.

"Yeah," Tadase smiled back at him. "This is Hina. Hina, this is Ikuto. His locker is next to mine."

"It's nice to meet you," the cute girl smiled.

"Same," Ikuto responded, slightly shocked.

The early bell rang and the couple waved and continued their walk to class. Ikuto leaned back against his locker. He let out a deep breath as he let it all sink in.

_Holy shit. Tadase has a girlfriend…_

Ikuto entered the gym and walked toward the pink head of hair that instantly sent a jolt of anxiety through him.

Did Amu know about Tadase's girlfriend? There was no way, right? She wouldn't have attempted to confess if that were the case. He couldn't deny the feeling of hope that coursed through him now that Amu would be forced to move on from the blond boy. Maybe things were finally looking up for him.

"Morning, Ikuto," she smiled at him as he took his place beside her.

He'd gotten good at repressing his blushing instinct around her. Probably because he'd had so much practice over the past few days. He returned her greeting and they began their stretches. He stole glances at her as they went through the motions.

He should tell her, right? That was the right thing to do, wasn't it? But what if she cried? Girls did that over this sort of thing, didn't they? He wouldn't be able to handle that. And he wouldn't want her to embarrass herself in front of everyone else either.

_Maybe I should tell her after class so she can go to the bathroom or the nurse's office or something. _

That class, Kyoto split them up into teams so they could play actual basketball games against one another. While he enjoyed playing, Ikuto was distracted as he was constantly thinking about how to break the news to Amu.

Once class ended, and they got changed, the two of them started walking together towards their next class. They made idle conversation along the way, and Ikuto kept putting off the conversation he knew needed to happen. As they were about to go their separate ways, he finally grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her to one side of the hallway.

"What's wrong, Ikuto?" She asked looking worried.

"There's something I need to tell you."

He had to look away once he saw her start to blush as she stared up at him. _Shit. You can do this, Ikuto._

"What is it?"

He forced himself to look back at her again. _I just need to say it._

"Tadasehasagirlfriend," he mumbled quickly.

"Huh?"

"Tadase has a girlfriend!" he repeated, accidentally shouting a little.

The few remaining people in the hallway shot them a few odd glances as they passed. He saw Amu's eyes widen, and her jaw dropped slightly.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"…Yeah, sorry."

Ikuto looked at the ground, not wanting to see whatever sad expression she was making at that moment. But suddenly giggling filled his ears and he looked up to see Amu laughing into her hand.

_What the hell?_

"Uhh, Amu?"

"I'm sorry," she said through giggles. "That's just too funny."

"You're not upset?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"No. I like someone else now," she said with a smile. "Later, Ikuto!"

She waved and walked away toward her next class. Ikuto was frozen to his spot as he watched her disappear down the hallway. His mind raced.

_What. Just. Happened? She doesn't like Tadase anymore? She likes someone else?_

His heart was working overtime now. He couldn't fight the excited and hopeful feeling that found a home in his chest.

_Please let it be me._

* * *

_Oh. My. God._

Amu was practically sweating as she tried to walk at a normal pace down the hallway.

_I just told Ikuto that I didn't like Tadase. That I liked someone else. What if he finds out it's him?_

She had told herself this morning that she was just going to do her best to act normal around him. She knew Rima wanted her to just confess, but she also knew there was no way that was going to happen anytime soon. But now she felt like she just had.

_Well not specifically, but it still feels like I told him I liked him!_

She did her best to calm her heart as she entered the math classroom and sat down next to Rima. She noticed Tadase out of the corner of her eye, and the information she had just learned finally sunk in.

_Oh my god, Tadase has a girlfriend?_

It really had been quite shocking to hear that the guy she had liked for so long and had been trying to confess to…wasn't even single. That was why she had laughed when Ikuto had told her. Well…it had also been because she had no idea what she was supposed to say in response. And somehow her brain decided the best thing would be to practically confess to him.

_Way to go, Amu. Way to go._

Though part of her hoped he would figure it out.

* * *

Ikuto's brain was a mess as he tried to listen to whatever it was his teacher was saying. He just couldn't focus. He cradled his pencil between two fingers and repeatedly tapped it against his desk as he stared off into space.

_She's never talked about any other guys recently. So who else could it be?_

Not that she would necessarily tell him if she developed a crush on another guy. But he would've noticed something right? Not to mention, they'd been together for the majority of the past few days, so when would she have had time to see another guy?

_It has to be me…right?_

"Ikuto!"

He heard a sharp whisper and felt a hand grasp his wrist as he looked over to see Nagihiko glaring at him. Ikuto shot him a questioning look.

"You've been tapping that pencil nonstop for the past 5 minutes. It's driving me nuts."

Ikuto flushed slightly.

"Oh shit, my bad. Sorry Nagi. I was off in my own world I guess."

His best friend raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is everything okay?"

Ikuto waved his hand to dismiss Nagihiko's question.

"I'm fine. Just thinking."

His friend continued to look at him for a second, but eventually returned his gaze to the front. Ikuto's mind started again as he watched Nagihiko.

_Nagi's just been through this recently, so maybe he can help. _

He absentmindedly tapped his pencil again.

_But then he'll find out that I like Amu. Though I guess that's not such a bad thing. He'd obviously find out anyway if we started dating._

He felt his cheeks heat up as he pictured he and Amu as a couple. The thought of it made his heart beat louder in his chest. She was possibly in his grasp, and once that happened, he was sure he'd never need to look at another girl again. But he was terrified of the consequences if he was wrong.

"God damnit, Ikuto."

He felt a strong grip on his wrist again and blushed.

"Shit. Sorry."

* * *

Amu entered the lunchroom with Rima at her side. Through all the background noise, she heard Rima speak to her.

"I figured we'd sit with Nagihiko and Ikuto today if that's okay."

Amu fought a blush as she looked down at her best friend.

"Yeah, sure."

_Of course…_

She followed the blond to the lunch line. It wasn't that she didn't want to sit with the boys. She was just filled with extreme anxiety as she thought about the fact that she last left Ikuto with the thought that she liked someone who wasn't Tadase.

_I wonder if he's thought about it at all. _

She didn't want him to ask about it. Especially not in front of Rima and Nagihiko, who were both very aware of her feelings for the blue-haired boy. Things would get awkward and embarrassing quickly.

_I bet I'll blush right when I see him._

As if on cue, Ikuto exited the lunch line ahead of them carrying a tray of food. She felt her cheeks heat up. _God damnit. _She awkwardly scratched the side of her face and pretended to look away, hoping he wouldn't see her. But of course Rima had to go and ruin it.

"Hey Ikuto. We're gonna sit with you guys today."

Amu got her cheeks under control as she turned to face him. It would've been obviously rude to continue to pretend she didn't see him at this point. Her eyes immediately met his deep blue ones. It almost felt like time stopped for a second as they stared at each other. She felt a small shiver go through her as she mustered up the courage to speak.

"H-hey there."

"Uhh..hi."

There was a short, awkward pause before he continued his walk toward the table Nagihiko sat at.

"That was weird," Rima stated bluntly.

"Shut up and order your lunch, Rima."

_Yep. So not looking forward to this lunch._

* * *

Ikuto put his tray down on the table and sat across from Nagihiko. He'd just looked like an idiot in front of Amu in the lunch line. His mind had been off in space, and he hadn't been prepared to see her so suddenly. And when she greeted him, his mind just blanked.

_Well even if she does like you now, she won't anymore if you keep acting stupid._

He just didn't know what to do at this point. Did he ask her about it? Obviously not at the lunch table, but when they were alone? And when would that even happen? After gym tomorrow? And what if he ended up being totally wrong, did he really want to have to spend the rest of his day in school in a state of depression?

_Definitely not._

"Dude, what gives?"

Nagihiko's voice cut through his thoughts. Ikuto blinked and looked over at his purple-haired friend.

"What?"

"You've been out of it all day. I've never seen you like this."

"Sorry. I'm just thinking about things."

"Something you wanna talk about?"

Ikuto saw Nagihiko's worried expression. _I said he could probably help right? I clearly have no idea what to do anyway._

But as he opened his mouth to say something, Rima showed up and sat down next to Nagihiko, and his best friend was no longer in the conversation. He watched Nagihiko smile and lean in to plant a kiss on Rima's cheek. The blond's jaw dropped as her cheeks lit up. She smacked him hard on the chest as he laughed at her. Ikuto smiled. He was happy for Nagi.

Just then Amu sat down next to him, but left an obviously large gap between them. Not that Ikuto minded. His mind got fuzzier the closer she was to him. But Rima didn't waste any time pointing it out.

"Amu, why are you sitting so far away from the rest of us? Move over."

He thought he saw Rima smirk as Amu begrudgingly scooted closer to him. He felt her hip touch his before she readjusted so that they weren't touching. And he was very aware of the scent of the strawberry shampoo she had probably used that morning. This brought images of the time outside his house when he removed a hair tie from her knotted hair.

She had been so cute that day. He remembered the warm feel of her hand in his. Even now, he wanted to reach over and grab her hand under the table. What was wrong with him all the sudden?

_Get yourself together, Ikuto! She's not even doing anything. She's just sitting next to you!_

* * *

Butterflies must've been having a party in her stomach, because Amu was so nervous she didn't even feel like eating anymore. Instead, she just pushed the food around on her plate.

_Stupid Rima…making me move over. I know she did it on purpose._

Now she was just mere centimeters away from him. Ikuto. The guy she liked. A lot. She was afraid to even look at him. Just a few days ago, they'd walked to school hand-in-hand, yet they had somehow regressed to this state.

_So he was okay doing that stuff when he thought I liked Tadase, but now that I like someone else, it's different?_

They had even been fine yesterday at Nagihiko's place and at lunch afterward. So it was obviously her pseudo-confession that was causing this awkwardness. Which means he was clearly thinking about it.

_That means he cares right? Or that he's worried._

Her curiosity got the better of her and she stole a glance at him. Similar to her, he was just kind of pushing the food around his plate, and the tiny creases on his forehead meant he was deep in thought.

_God…I even think he's cute when he's moping…what is wrong with me?_

"What the hell is wrong with you two?"

Amu jumped at the sound of Rima's voice. She and Ikuto both looked up to see Rima and Nagihiko raising an eyebrow at them. Nagihiko spoke this time.

"I've never seen you two this quiet together. You're normally either making fun of each other or yelling at each other. This is too weird."

Amu couldn't fight the blush that rose to her cheeks. Couldn't they have just let it go until lunch ended? Now they had to say something.

"We got in trouble in gym class today," Ikuto answered.

She fought the shock that filled her at Ikuto's lie. But she was fine supporting it for now. Anything to get them out of the awkward position they now found themselves in. She nodded in agreement and she quickly searched her mind for a reason.

"Yeah. We…had to do a Trust Fall exercise today, and this guy didn't catch me."

_Please go with it, Ikuto. It was the first thing I thought of._

"Woah! What?" Ikuto asked as he turned to look at her. She looked back at him.

_What are you doing you idiot?_

"You didn't catch me first! You deserved it."

She felt relieved at his words. And if she wasn't mistaken, there was a hint of playfulness in his eyes again. She could play along.

"Whatever, Ikuto. I don't even want to talk about it."

She flipped her hair as if to dismiss him as she shoved a scoop of potatoes in her mouth.

"This is much more like you two," Rima cut in.

Amu noticed that Nagihiko didn't say anything, but seemed to be studying her and Ikuto intently. She ignored it, and continued to eat her lunch, pretending to ignore Ikuto. He had no reason to be suspicious, right? Thankfully, he didn't ask anything and went back to flirting with Rima. She smiled as she watched the two of them together. Even though Rima blushed every two seconds and pretended to be mad, Amu could tell she was genuinely happy.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ikuto's hand resting on the table near her. She wanted to be able to just reach and grab it the way Nagihiko could with Rima. She wanted to feel his arms wrap around her again. She glanced back over at him again, and as she did, their eyes met. They both immediately looked away, and Amu felt her heart race.

_How long is this going to go on? If we just ignore it, will it go away? _

She thought about it for a second before the school bell rang signaling them to head to their next class. She and Rima said their goodbyes to Ikuto and Nagihiko and walked toward History class. As they walked, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and flipped it open, and the butterflies went at it again when Ikuto's name flashed across the screen. She opened the message.

"_Nice acting, goofball."_

She couldn't stop herself from smiling at the text. It was stupid and random, but it made her happy. She took a deep breath as thoughts filled her head again.

_Do I really want to ignore it? Do I want it to go away?_

* * *

**A/N: So how was it? Not the best, I know. But it could've been worse. I'm really excited about the next/last chapter. And I've already planned it out. I just have to write it. And since it's summer time now, that shouldn't take more than a week I would think. At least I hope not!**

**I can't apologize enough for the ridiculous hiatus between this chapter and the previous one. Once again, I have no excuse, and thus submit myself to whatever ridicule or torture you have for me. I'm sorry!**


	27. Match Two: Amu and Ikuto

**A/N: HERE IT IS! THE LAST CHAPTER OF TM!**

**Sorry it took longer than expected to post this. My family has sort of last-minute decided to sell my house and move. And I literally had like a two-week notice to pack up all my stuff and get it to my new house. It's been crazy. I almost just posted what I had at that point, but I really didn't want you guys to have to wait for yet another chapter, so I sucked it up and waited to finish it.**

**I also spent A LOT of time and effort on it so hopefully you like it. All feedback is welcome, good and bad! **

**Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed last time, and also to everyone who read it and favorited this story! It makes me so happy :D**

**P.S. I didn't take the time to proofread so I apologize for that. I was just so excited to post it!**

**Without further ado, the final chapter of Tagteam Matchmakers:**

* * *

_We're like fire and rain._

_You can drive me insane._

_But I can't stay mad at you for anything._

_We're Venus and Mars.  
We're like different stars._

_But you're the harmony to every song I sing._

_And I wouldn't change a thing._

* * *

Nagihiko switched between staring at the clock and at his best friend while waiting for the last school bell to ring. Ikuto had been acting strangely all day, and the silence between him and Amu at the lunch table spoke volumes. There was clearly something that happened between them. And he was going to figure it out.

The two of them had apparently forgotten that he was present at the eatery a while back when they had argued about the Trust Fall before. So that story had obviously been a lie. The bell finally rang after a few minutes and he and Ikuto exited the classroom. He sent Rima a quick text saying he'd call her later and to not worry about waiting for him after school. He turned to his friend.

"Hey, Ikuto. Want to come over and hang out today?"

"Yeah sure."

He could tell Ikuto's mind was still somewhere else even now. _I wonder if one of them confessed? _Though he knew better than to think Amu would take that step, and he wasn't even sure if Ikuto had admitted his own feelings to himself yet. They got into Ikuto's car and drove over to the Fujisaki mansion.

They greeted the maids and walked up to Nagihiko's room. After tossing their schoolbags off to the side, Nagihiko sat on the edge of his bed while Ikuto plopped down into the nearby recliner. He decided not to waste any time.

"So, did you want to talk about whatever it is that's going on between you and Amu?"

Had Ikuto been drinking something, Nagihiko thought he probably would've spit it out just then as he looked back at him with a slightly shocked expression. Nagihiko raised an eyebrow and spoke again.

"Did you think I didn't notice? I heard the Trust Fall story the first time I met Amu."

He saw Ikuto blush with guilt.

"Sorry, Nagi. I just didn't want to talk about it at lunch today. And Amu ran with it."

"Okay, so spill. What's going on?"

He studied Ikuto as he waited for his response. The blush deepened, and Ikuto was looking everywhere but back at him.

"Umm…I'm not sure how to say this, but, well…I have feelings for Amu."

* * *

Ikuto's face was on fire now as he opened up to his best friend. It felt weird to say it out loud. He felt like he was practically confessing it to her even though she wasn't there.

"Okay," Nagi responded, "Tell me something I didn't already know…"

Ikuto's jaw dropped slightly as he stared back at Nagi.

"What? You knew?"

_Oh my god. Am I that obvious?_

He watched Nagihiko roll his eyes.

"Seriously, Ikuto? I told you on day one that you guys were too flirtatious to be just friends. It just took you forever to realize I was right."

Nagi smiled playfully as he said this. Ikuto leaned back in his recliner as he shook his head at his best friend.

"You suck sometimes, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know. That and I saw you guys practically make out in the movie theater that day."

Ikuto's blush returned as he shot up in his chair. _No way…_

"We didn't make out. We didn't even kiss, man. That was just…an odd moment."

He didn't know what else to say. Remembering that moment just made his cheeks more red. He _really_ wanted to kiss her at that time. He wondered where the two of them would be now if they actually had kissed that day.

"What about when she slept at your house the other day?"

_Is he serious?_

Ikuto looked up to see his best friend grinning at him and he didn't even know why he was still surprised anymore with the things that Nagihiko was apparently aware of.

"How did you even know about that?"

"Rima, of course. She told me about it when we saw you guys passed out on my couch yesterday."

_Damnit, Amu. You just had to tell Rima didn't you?_

Ikuto shook his head again. _No point in being discrete now. _He spent the next hour describing the details of his and Amu's relationship in recent days so that Nagihiko had enough information to give him solid advice.

* * *

Nagihiko sat back for a minute as he processed everything Ikuto had told him. He hadn't realized just how intense Ikuto's feelings were.

"Wow," he said.

"I know," Ikuto responded, "I don't know what to do."

Part of Nagihiko just wanted to yell that Ikuto was an idiot and that Amu obviously liked him back, but the other part of him still wanted them to figure it out on their own. And that part still won.

_They're so close now. They just need a little prodding._

"Have you thought about just confessing to her?"

He watched as Ikuto blushed again. He kind of liked this side of Ikuto. It made Nagihiko feel less like an idiot for being so out-of-sorts over a girl himself.

"Of course I've thought about it. But the thought of losing her entirely makes it seem like it's not worth it."

Ikuto sighed deeply as he leaned back in his chair again, and Nagihiko's lips curved upward.

"I know exactly how you're feeling right now, Ikuto. I was there once too. But I can assure you that you'll never really be happy if things stay the way they are. You'll eventually reach a point where you don't want to hide it anymore. Where every time you look at her, you have to fight yourself not to just tell her then and there how much you love her."

He studied Ikuto's face as he let his words sink in.

"Ugh. I'm practically at that point already. At least you got lucky and Rima confessed to you."

"Actually Ikuto, I confessed to her first. And she rejected me."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know! It was a spontaneous decision. I had finally reached that point and I couldn't take it anymore. So I told her. And due to a whole bunch of misunderstandings, she ran away."

"Wow."

"Yeah. And I was so depressed, I didn't go to school for two days, and then miraculously, the 3 of you showed up at my door and she apologized and said she had feelings for me too. I can honestly tell you that her saying that to me made everything I'd ever been through worth it."

He could see Ikuto's eyes search his as his mind was probably working overtime at that moment.

"Ikuto, I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do, but I think you just need to tell her. Worst case scenario, she says no and needs a little space from you. But it's not like she's going to outcast you forever. I don't think she's that kind of person."

"I guess…but I'll feel like such an idiot. When will I even have the opportunity to confess? It's not like we're alone in gym class."

"If you can get her to sleep in your bed for a night, I'm thinking you probably have the skills to get her to go out with you somewhere."

Nagihiko laughed as Ikuto shot a glare in his direction.

"I told you, that was an extremely unusual series of events that lead to her staying over. It's not like I've ever asked her out before."

"What about when we went to the movies?"

"She only went to that because she knew you guys were gonna be there."

Nagihiko looked up at his ceiling as he thought about that for a moment, and smiled as he came up with an idea. When he looked back at Ikuto, his best friend raised an eyebrow at him.

"I think we can help you out there."

* * *

Rima finished washing the dishes after dinner, and walked up to her room for some privacy from her mom. They'd gotten into a small fight about her future and a bunch of other nonsense at the dinner table. There was no way she was going to tell her mom that she had a boyfriend now, although she almost said it anyway just to make her mom angry.

_It's not my fault she doesn't trust men._

She sat down at her desk and pulled out her schoolbooks. She worked up the courage to open her math book to the set of problems they had to complete by the end of the week. A frown appeared on her face as she stared at the numbers in front of her.

_Such a ridiculous subject._

She might not know what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, but she was certain that it would involve as few numbers as possible. She could leave all that stuff to Nagihiko. He was definitely smarter than her.

_Oh my god. What am I even thinking about?_

A blush formed on her cheeks as she realized she was already assuming he was going to be a part of her life in the future.

_You've only been dating for two days, Rima. Stop being creepy._

She was fairly certain he wasn't over his house fantasizing about their life together. Not that she had been fantasizing. It was just one thought! She finally closed her eyes and willed away all thoughts of her boyfriend and focused on her homework. But soon after, her phone rang, and her stomach danced a little as Nagihiko's name flashed across the screen.

_Oh my god, it's him! He's calling me right now! What do I do?_

She blinked for a second before realizing how stupid her thought process was. She reached out and grabbed her phone, staring at it as it continued to ring.

_Good god, Rima! Just pick it up!_

She finally flipped open the phone and held it up to her ear.

"H-hello?"

"Rima! It's Nagihiko."

"Well duh. It says your name before I pick up."

_Damnit._ She scolded herself for already saying something rude.

"Oh right. Anyway, I called because I have some news that I think you will want to hear."

Rima raised an eyebrow.

"And what's that?"

"Ikuto has feelings for Amu!"

"What? How do you know?"

_Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!_

"He came over after school and told me. He just left a few minutes ago or I would've called you sooner."

Rima got up and did a little happy dance after hearing the news. _Finally!_

"I didn't tell you this before out of strict confidence," Rima said, "but Amu likes him too! She told me so herself the other day!"

"Yeah I know."

"You do? How?"

"Let's just say I have an eye for these things."

She raised another eyebrow and shook her head.

"Oh really? So you were just faking your depression when you thought I didn't like you before?"

_Let's see you talk yourself out of this one._ She smiled to herself.

"Obviously. I mean, how could you not have fallen for me at first sight?"

She laughed as she heard the sarcasm in his voice. Who knew talking to him on the phone would feel so easy?

"Oh right. Yeah. I forgot to mention my immediate attraction to girly-looking men."

"Ouch. That was below the belt."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Anyway, so is Ikuto going to confess? Please say yes."

"He seems a bit reserved about it at the moment, but I think I talked him into it. I didn't want to tell him about Amu's feelings because it's just more fun this way."

"Well aren't you a devious one?"

"I told you I wasn't as nice as I seem."

She could hear the playfulness in his voice and laughed once again.

"Anyway," he continued, "He didn't know how to get her out alone, so I told him we could all meet up somewhere and then you and I can go off on our own at some point. How does that sound?"

"Interesting. We _could_ do that. Or, even better, we could say we're going to meet up, and you and I can just not show up at all. Less work on our part and much more chaotic."

"Wow. And _I'm_ the devious one here?"

"Are you surprised?"

"Not at all, my dear. As long as you're not avoiding hanging out with me."

Rima's smile widened at his words. It was weird how happy she was knowing that he wanted to see her. And she was surprisingly okay with being called 'my dear'.

"Hmm…I _guess_ we can still hang out. Want to have a girl's day?"

She laughed at the silence on the other end of the line.

"You're so mean."

* * *

The next evening, Amu sat on a bench in the park waiting by the ice cream shop they had all agreed to meet at. If she was being honest, she didn't want to be there at all. Only because she knew she'd have to see Ikuto again. And that was nerve-wracking. But Rima had begged her to come along because she didn't feel comfortable being alone with Nagihiko yet. Which made sense. They'd only been dating for three days now. She just wished Ikuto wasn't also coming.

She sighed as she stared up at the slowly darkening sky. The sun was still out but not for too much longer. She'd have to come to terms with this Ikuto thing sooner or later. She'd managed to avoid him asking her about the person she liked in gym class this morning. Not that he'd ever tried, but she certainly wasn't going to even give him the opportunity.

_I'm just not ready._

"It's called a sky."

Amu jumped as her thoughts were interrupted by the one person she didn't want to see. Ikuto sat down next to her on the bench and she closed her eyes for a second to compose herself.

"Yes, thank you. I was just thinking."

She looked over and watched him mimic her and lean back on the bench to stare up at the sky.

"About what?"

She blushed as she thought about the answer to that question.

_You. Idiot._

"Just stuff." She needed to change the subject quickly. "Any idea when Nagi and Rima will be arriving?"

She felt Ikuto move the bench as he shook his head.

"Any moment now I assume. Been awhile since I've had ice cream."

"Same. Though it seems odd that they'd want us here with them."

Just then her phone went off and she opened it to see a text from Rima. She clicked on it and her eyes widened. She sat up straight on the bench.

"Are you shitting me?"

She saw Ikuto glance over at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

_I'm going to kill her._

Ikuto repeated his question. "Amu, what's wrong?"

He recoiled slightly as she thrust her cell phone into his face, but still leaned in to see what it said.

"_Sorry, Amu. I can't make it tonight. Mom's being stupid. Apologize to Nagihiko for me."_

She couldn't believe it. As if the night wasn't already going to be awkward for her. Now Rima wasn't even going to be there. She better be telling the truth. Although, it might actually be a good thing her best friend wasn't coming. Rima probably would've spent the whole night awkwardly trying to play matchmaker.

_At least Nagihiko is still going to be here._

"Wow," Ikuto responded, "I didn't realize Rima's mom was against ice cream."

Amu shook her head. "It's not that. Her mom is just oddly protective sometimes and doesn't like to let Rima out of the house at night. I offered to pick her up before but she told me not to worry about it."

Another phone went off then and she watched Ikuto dig in his front pocket for his. He pulled it out, flipped it open, and put it up to his ear.

"What's up Nagi? You here? What do you mean?"

She watched Ikuto's smirk fade and an awful feeling came over her.

_Oh god. No. Please no._

Ikuto leaned back against the bench again as he let out a sigh.

"Yeah. No, I understand I guess. Nope, can't do that. She couldn't come either."

Amu just wanted to hide under the bench. Nagihiko wasn't coming either. She heard Ikuto say goodbye to Nagihiko and snapped his phone shut.

"So it looks like Nagi can't make it either."

"This can't be happening to me," Amu said without even thinking.

"Sorry?"

"This _cannot_ be happening." She said, ignoring him.

"Well I'm sorry you're so upset that you have to be alone with me. You don't have to stay."

With that, he got off the bench to leave. She blushed lightly as she looked over at him. He didn't deserve her rudeness. She called out to stop him.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…that. I just…ugh."

She ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to think of a response, but came up with nothing. He turned back toward her and stopped in front of her. He reached out a hand to her.

"Come. Last I checked, we were friends. I think that means we're allowed to eat ice cream together."

He flashed his famous smirk at her, and she couldn't help but smile up at him. She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. Their faces were suddenly closer than she was prepared for, and she turned away slightly as she felt him let go of her hand. He turned around to head toward the ice cream shop, and she instinctively reached out for his hand again. She realized it quickly and pulled her hand back before it touched his.

_Shit. This is bad. Being alone with him isn't safe._

* * *

Ikuto found himself cursing Nagihiko as he walked toward the ice cream shop. He couldn't believe that he and Rima had simply decided to not show up at all. He already wasn't prepared for what he was supposed to say to Amu tonight, but he was supposed to have some time with the group to get his thoughts together. Yet they were already alone. And she didn't even want to be there.

_I should just let her go home. This is already a failure._

They reached the front of the ice cream shop and got in the back of the line. There were a few families there, and probably a few couples sitting around that area of the park watching the sunset. The silence between him and Amu became obvious after a few seconds. He tried to think of something to say, but couldn't really come up with anything.

"Hey," she finally spoke up, "I'm sorry about earlier. It's not that I don't want to be alone with you. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

He looked over at her, and she was staring straight ahead, a faint pink lighting her cheek. He smiled at that. She looked like she really had a lot going through her mind, and he didn't like feeling like he was the cause of that. He gave her a soft push on the shoulder.

"Lighten up and don't worry about it. I can tell you've got a lot on your mind."

"Yeah…" he heard her say softly.

He was partially afraid that the person she liked was on her mind and that that person was not him. But he didn't want her to think she couldn't talk to him about things, and despite Nagihiko's warning, he was starting to think that he should just accept being friends with her.

"You know, as I reminded you earlier, we are friends. You can talk to me about things. I promise I'll listen. And not make fun of you. Well…I'll do my best not to anyway."

He laughed as he felt her slap him playfully.

"Shut up," she said smiling.

_Good. _This was the Amu he loved. The oddly quiet and depressed version of her he'd seen over the past two days worried him, and if he had to keep his feelings to himself to make her smile, then that's all there was to it.

_Sorry, Nagihiko._

"So spill," he said. They were getting closer to the front of the line.

"It's nothing," she said, waving her arm to dismiss the subject. "Honestly, don't worry about it. Just girl things."

"Oh? Try me. I have a sister you know."

Just then, his sister's words from the other day reached his mind.

"_She really cares about you, you know. You should just tell her how you feel."_

His cheeks flushed a little at the thought of it. Before Amu could respond again, they reached the front of the line. An older woman leaned forward through an open window at the counter.

"What can I get you two?"

"Chocolate, please." The two of them said in unison.

He and Amu looked at each other with a somewhat shocked expression on their faces. _Her favorite is chocolate too? _

"Well aren't you two just the cutest things," the woman said. "Coming right up."

* * *

Amu tore her gaze from Ikuto's and blushed immediately upon hearing the woman's words. She tried to compose her thoughts. It didn't mean anything that they both wanted chocolate ice cream. Didn't everybody like chocolate ice cream? But Amu couldn't ignore the woman behind the counter smiling at them as she made their ice creams. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't deny the fact that she and Ikuto looked very much like a couple right now.

_I should've ordered something else._

But she had to start acting like her normal self or Ikuto was going to keep asking her questions that she didn't want to answer. She had to think of something to talk about that would not make her uncomfortable.

"I didn't see you as a Chocolate person," Ikuto finally broke the silence.

She laughed at that. "I'm not exactly sure how to take that, but okay?"

She saw Ikuto smile a little bit too.

"Yeah," he said, "I guess that didn't really make sense."

_See, Amu? You can do this. Normal._

"I should've known you were a chocolate person 'cause your pillow smelled like chocolate."

Amu's face practically melted off at her own words.

_Oh my god! I did not just say that!_

They were finally beginning to have a normal conversation and she had to go and ruin it by bringing up the most awkward morning of her life. And now the silence was back. And she could feel him staring at her.

"Well, to be honest, I had you as a Strawberry person since that's what your shampoo smelled like."

Her eyes widened and she turned to look at him, her cheeks redder than ever. She was surprised to see his cheeks mirror hers, but he was looking straight ahead. She remembered him leaning over and gently removing the hair tie from her knotted bed-head that morning. And how he had grabbed her hand after she had let it go. And how he had called her his good luck charm.

_Ikuto…_

Staring at him now, looking cute with his cheeks all red, made her feelings for him flare up inside of her. It made her want to reach out and touch him. Her hand missed the feeling of his. Just like she had been afraid it would. She suddenly felt like she was tired of hiding from him. She knew part of her wanted things to just go back to normal, but she really couldn't ignore that part of her that wanted to always spend time with him, just like this.

His hand was draped lazily at his side, and her gaze shifted to it. Her heart got the better of her and she reached out her hand to grab his. But as she did this, his hand moved forward as the woman's voice cut through her thoughts and delivered their ice creams.

"Here you go," she said holding two chocolate cones in her hand.

Amu pulled her hand back quickly. Her heart was pounding in her head now. Ikuto grabbed the cones from the woman and handed one to Amu. She couldn't look at him as she took it.

"That'll be $5.35."

Amu immediately dug into her pocket for her cash, thankful to have something to occupy her hands.

"Honey, what are you doing?" The woman's voice cut in, and Amu looked up at her. "Let your boyfriend here pay for you. He was planning on it anyway, weren't you hon?"

The woman looked at Ikuto this time, and Amu's face was so hot, she was afraid her ice cream might melt. She felt an odd sadness wash over her knowing that, despite what it looked like, he was not actually her boyfriend. And even though it looked like a date, it wasn't. She was surprised when Ikuto didn't reject and dug for more money.

_Now he feels obligated! Shit._

"Umm," She hestitantly cut in, "Don't worry about it, Ikuto. We're not—"

"I got it, Amu." He cut her off.

"But we're not dat—"

"Here you go, ma'm." He cut her off again as he handed the woman some money, ignoring Amu this time.

"Have a good time, you two!" The woman smiled as Ikuto left the line. Amu stared at him in disbelief for a moment before following behind him.

"Ikuto, wait!"

He stopped for a second as he let her catch up. She could tell he looked a little mad or upset about it.

"Here, let me pay you back." She reached into her pocket again.

"Don't worry about it, Amu. It was like two bucks."

"But, I have the money right here. It's really not a big deal. Take it," she said as she held out two bills.

"Amu, put the money away. Just enjoy the ice cream."

She saw that he was getting annoyed so she obliged and slipped the bills back into her pocket.

"Fine," she said stubbornly, "then I don't understand what you're so upset about."

"I'm _not_ upset."

"Oh please, I can hear it in your voice."

She took a few licks from her ice cream to calm herself down. He wasn't responding and it was starting to piss her off.

"If it's because she thought we were dating," Amu continued, "then maybe you should have denied it like I tried to."

She continued to walk forward eating her ice cream, but realized that she was the only one moving. She turned around to see him a few feet behind her staring at her with an expression she couldn't really make out.

"I was trying to be nice and not make it awkward for _her._ I'm sorry the idea was so repulsive to you that you couldn't even pretend we were dating for one minute." Ikuto said coldly.

_How dare he!_

She walked closer to him.

"I never said it was repulsive! I just didn't think it was right for you to have to pay for me when I'm clearly not your girlfriend!"

She was breathing heavily now, hurt and angry. Her eyes widened as she saw a hurt expression cross his face at her words.

"Yeah…clearly not." He said.

He moved past her as his words cut into her. Her body was trembling and she felt her eyes start to water. Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the air behind her and she heard Ikuto stop a few steps from her.

"Hey it's Ikuto. Oh, and Amu."

* * *

Ikuto's eyes widened as he saw Tadase and his girlfriend walk toward them.

_Talk about awful timing._

He thought the night had just reached rock bottom, but apparently it could go further down. It was quite obvious to him now that Amu did not think of him the same way he thought of her. And that this night alone was a waste of time. He just wanted to get out of there so he didn't have to look at her anymore. He'd been pleasantly surprised when Amu remembered the scent of his pillow. It brought back good memories from a great night.

But now he just wanted to get far away from her. And he definitely did not want to see or speak to Tadase. He composed himself as the blond got closer, walking hand-in-hand with his girlfriend. Amu was still facing the other direction behind him.

"Hey guys. I didn't even know you guys knew each other." Tadase said.

Unfortunately, Tadase was the kind of guy who wasn't good at reading the atmosphere. Amu finally forced herself to turn around and move up next to him. Ikuto tried his best to seem normal while not looking at her.

Tadase looked over at his girlfriend with a stupid smile on his face.

"Hina, you met Ikuto the other day, and this girl next to him is my classmate, Amu. Amu, this is my girlfriend Hina."

He watched Amu fake a smile as she greeted the other girl and said hello to Tadase.

"I see you guys got your ice cream already," Tadase said. "We were on an ice cream date as well. Are you guys going out?"

_Shit._

The blond boy asked so innocently, probably assuming that the answer was an obvious 'yes'. Ikuto didn't need to be hurt by Amu a second time so he answered before she could.

"No. We're not dating. We're here with some friends."

He felt Amu stiffen beside him, and raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her. His eyes widened again. Her face was flushed and he could see her eyes start to gloss over.

_Is she about to cry?_

"Well," Amu cut in, her voice shaking slightly, "the line's getting long so you better get over there. See you in school, Tadase."

And with that, she awkwardly walked off past them, leaving Ikuto at a loss for words.

_What the hell?_

Tadase looked back at him.

"Is she okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, just a rough day," Ikuto responded, moving past him as well. "Have a good night guys."

He pace picked up as he watched Amu take the walking path off to the left in front of him. He saw her pace quicken as well as he got closer to her. Then she took off at a run.

_Is she running away from me? Idiot. I'm obviously faster._

He ran after her and caught up to her within a few seconds. He grabbed onto her arm and pulled her just off the path. Though, there wasn't really anyone else around anyway. He forced her to look at him. As soon as he looked at her, he saw a few tears slowly trickle down her face. His eyes widened yet again. His anger faltered at the sight of her.

"Please let me go," She cried, as she used her free arm to wipe her eyes. She was refusing to look straight at him.

"As if I would," he said sternly, tightening his grip on her arm. "You've been acting odd all evening, and now you're crying, and you think I'm just going to walk away like everything's okay?"

"Please," she said, new tears falling down her face, "I'm begging you. I can't do this anymore."

"Do what? We got into a stupid fight. So what? I'm not going to leave you here, Amu. You didn't leave me crying in the cemetery, and I'm not going to leave you now."

Her tears stopped for a second as she finally looked him in the eyes. Ikuto's heart started pounding.

_Holy shit. What did I just say? Did I practically just confess to her?_

_Well…I might as well just do it at this point._

But her voice cut him off.

"Stop it! Just stop it! Stop being so nice to me. It's only going to make things worse."

"Amu, I don't understand what you're saying. What the hell is going on? Talk to me."

"I like you, you idiot!" She blurted out. "So damn much!"

"What?" Ikuto said softly, not believing what he was hearing. His grip on her arm loosened.

* * *

Amu's eyes widened and she slapped a hand over her mouth as the tears continued to well up in her eyes.

_Oh my god…I told him! I said it! Oh my god, what am I doing?_

She felt his hand loosen on her arm, and after staring at his shocked face for a few seconds, she tore free from his grip and took off back toward her car.

_Oh my god. Oh my god._

What was she thinking? How could she let that slip? She sprinted as hard as she could and the parking lot came into view. She didn't even try to turn around to see if he was following because she didn't want to see him. She found her car quickly, jumped in, locked the doors and sped off. Her eyes had begun to dry as the shock from her confession made her forget to cry.

_Shit Shit Shit Shit._

Now everything was over. He had made her so upset and emotional. And he had to go and say that stupid line about how he wasn't ever going to leave her. It just made her heart explode and she couldn't stop herself. She'd never wanted so badly to tell someone how she felt as she had just then.

_Ikuto, you idiot. What did you make me do?_

And how was she supposed to go to school tomorrow? There was absolutely no way she could face him. And soon Rima and Nagihiko would find out what happened and everything would be awkward for her.

_This is so bad. So bad._

She managed to reach her house safely and ran inside and up to her room before anyone could ask her about her evening. As soon as she entered her room, she shut the door, locked it, jumped on her bed, and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

_You lift my feet off the ground  
Spin me around  
You make me crazier, crazier  
Feels like I'm falling and I  
I'm lost in your eyes  
You make me crazier,  
Crazier, crazier._

* * *

The next morning, Amu managed to convince her mom that she was sick, and couldn't go into school that day. She had cried so much that she had actually slept really well once she fell asleep. And luckily, enough time had passed that her eyes were no longer swollen from all the tears.

But there was just no way she could go to school today. Eventually, she was going to have to face everything, but for now, she just wanted to curl up in her blanket and compose her thoughts. Or forget about everything.

She was sure to receive a text from Rima fairly soon to ask why she wasn't in school. She could just tell her that she got food poisoning from the ice cream last night or something. As if on cue, her phone went off and Rima's name flashed on the screen. Amu opened the phone and read the message.

"_Where are you? Don't forget today's our last day to meet before our presentation tomorrow!"_

_Oh shit!_

She had completely forgotten about the History project. They were presenting tomorrow and were supposed to go over everyone's part in class today.

_Damnit, damnit, damnit!_

Amu's mind reeled for a few minutes as she tried to figure out what she was going to do. History was their last class so she could definitely skip first period and avoid Ikuto in gym class. But they wouldn't let her in school late after second period. So she just needed to figure out a way to get out of going to lunch.

She got up and started getting dressed for school. She put on some light makeup to cover any remaining evidence of her crying session last night.

_I can just tell Rima I'm really not feeling well and that I want to spend lunch in the nurse's office._ _That should work._

She never ran into Ikuto in the halls apart from when they left gym together so she should be fine. And it's not like he was going to be actively searching for her to reject her, so she didn't have to worry about that.

She finished pulling herself together and walked outside to head to school. She should get there in the middle of first period so the hallways would be empty for her to go to her locker and just camp outside math class until the bell rang. Even though she didn't normally see him, spending as little time in the hallways between classes was probably for the best.

As she entered the school building, she stopped by the office to get a late pass, and headed for her locker. She had been right. The hallways were empty save for her right now.

_You can do this, Amu. You have a good avoidance plan._

She continued to mentally motivate herself as she opened her locker to get her math book. But when the locker door opened, a small piece of pink paper fell out and floated down to the ground. She froze and her heart started pounding.

_What the hell?_

She shut her locker and immediately turned around to look down the hallway. There was no one there. She turned back around, reached down, and picked up the folded piece of paper. She quickly unfolded it and her eyes widened as she read its contents:

"_Amu,_

_I know we don't talk much, but I want you to know that I think you are very nice and have the best smile. I've always thought you were cute and funny and I just wanted you to know that someone out there cared for you._

_From,_

_Ikuto_

_P.S. Turn around."_

Amu was frozen in place as she read her own note to herself. Except the names had been crossed out and replaced with her and Ikuto's. She was still in shock as she read the added line at the end.

_Turn around?_

Just then she heard footsteps and listened as they got closer. She started to tremble as the words started to sink in. And then the one voice she didn't want to hear, but wanted to hear so badly, rang through her ears.

"Why aren't you turning around?"

Tears started to trickle down her face as the words confirmed that it was in fact Ikuto standing behind her.

"I-I can't."

"Why not?"

He was closer now. She could feel him right behind her and she could barely breathe as she continued to shake, frozen to her spot. All she could do was lift the paper up and cover her face. Then she felt his warm arms encircle her waist as he leaned down next to her ear.

"I love you," he whispered.

She burst out into audible sobs at his words as her heart burst inside her. Her mind stopped working and all she could hear was those words repeating over and over again in her head. She'd been so afraid. Of seeing him. Of everything. And for days, she'd been imagining what it would be like to hear him confess to her, and imagined what she would say. And now here she was. And it was happening. But all she could do was cry.

"Turn around, Amu."

She shook her head. She was such an idiot. For some reason, her only thought was that she did not want him to see her red, puffy, tear-stricken face. Her mind was so fuddled that somehow, her appearance took priority over everything else right then.

"I-I-I'm ugly right now," she managed to say.

She heard Ikuto laugh, and the sound of it sparked a bit of anger in her, making her tears stop.

"Don't laugh you ass!"

She instinctively spun around and slapped his arm hard, and then her eyes widened as she realized what she did. He smirked at her, causing her to blush, and leaned forward until her back was pressed up against her locker, his hands on either side of her head. His face was just inches from hers as those big blue eyes sealed her to her spot.

"Amu," his voice gave her goosebumps, "I'm _never _going to think that you're ugly."

She couldn't help but smile as the last few tears still trickled down her face.

"And you may have forgotten," he continued, "that I saw you like this last night when you decided to confess to me and then run away. Which, by the way, was a dick move."

"B-but," she was silenced as Ikuto placed a finger against her lips.

"The only reason Nagi and I set up an ice cream night was so that I could confess to you, Amu. And then you went and pissed me off, and somehow managed to confess to me instead."

Amu's eyes widened.

"Are you serious? That was your way of prepping to confess to me? You said I was _clearly_ not your girlfriend! _That's _why I started crying. And then Tadase showed up and—"

"First off, I don't care about Tadase. Let's not even talk about him. Ever. Second, _you _were the one who said you weren't my girlfriend first. I just agreed with you because I was upset."

Amu laughed on the inside as she saw a bit of anger in Ikuto's eyes when he spoke of Tadase.

"I'm sorry, were you jealous of Tadase? Who, I might remind you, you were trying to set me up with. How the hell was I supposed to know how you felt?"

He leaned in closer, now just centimeters away, and Amu's breath caught in her throat.

"I didn't know back when I agreed to that deal that I was going to fall for you, Amu."

Her blush increased ten-fold at that statement.

"S-so when did you?" She asked.

"When did I what?"

She could feel his breath against her lips.

"When did you fall for me?"

He smirked at her.

"I think it was around the time I got to see you in that little red bikini."

"You perve!" She laughed.

"What about you?" He asked. She blushed deeper.

"Movie theater," she said almost whispering.

His eyes got a little bit darker as she watched him glance down at her mouth. She imagined that the same scene was running through both their heads just then as her gaze shifted to his mouth as well. She reached her hand out and clutched a chunk of his shirt. They both smiled as she pulled him forward, finally closing the distance between them.

Amu felt a jolt run through her as their lips touched. Her grip on his shirt tightened as his mouth moved against hers tenderly. His thumb moved and caressed her cheek softly, wiping away any traces of old tears before his hand buried itself in her hair. She felt like her heart was exploding over and over again as he continued to kiss her. His tongue slid across her lips and she felt her body heat up as she opened her mouth, deepening the kiss.

Unfortunately, they had to come up for air eventually, and he pulled away, though just slightly. They searched each other's eyes as they panted, trying to catch their breaths. And then he smirked.

"Even better than the first time."

"What?"

She listened as he explained what happened the night she stayed over his house. Her jaw dropped and her face flushed even more than she thought possible.

_I attacked him in my sleep?_

But before she could comment, she felt a finger on her chin and his lips were on hers again. She let her eyelids fall closed as she got caught up in his mouth again. He pulled away after a few seconds and smirked at her.

"That's what's going to happen to you from now on whenever you let your mouth hang open like that."

"You ass," she said smiling, and this time she pushed her lips back onto his, and the edges of her mouth curved upward when she knew she had surprised him. She pulled away and then gave him one last peck before letting him speak.

"I love you," he said again.

But this time it actually sunk in. _Wait a minute…Love?_

"You…you _love_ me?" She asked in shock.

"Yep."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"As in not just like me a whole lot, but actually love?"

"…yes, Amu. I _love_ you." He leaned into her again. "As in you're the only person I think about. As in you're the only one who can piss me off and cheer me up at the same time. As in I want to wake up to your stupid snores every morning. I _love _you."

Amu thought she was going to start crying again at his words. Why was he so good at making her fall for him? Which, she realized, was exactly what was happening to her. Rima's words echoed in her head.

"_When you love someone, you still like them no matter how stupid, or ignorant, or stubborn they are about everything. You like them for their faults. And when something bad happens to them, you just want to wrap your arms around them and protect them."_

_Do I love him?_

She searched his eyes for some sort of answer to that question, and she smiled when she found it.

"Ikuto, when I first met you, I thought you were a complete asshole. Which, let's face it, sometimes you are. But when I got to know you…_all_ of you, I realized that you were so much more than that. And I didn't want anyone else to know. I wanted—I _want_ you all to myself. I promise I won't let your head hit the ground ever again."

Her eyes started to water again as she spoke. _God, I'm such a sap._

"God damnit, Amu," he said, blushing intensely now. He kissed her again. Much more softly and slowly than before. And she could feel every part of his lips, every move that he made. One of his hands found her own and she felt his fingers slip themselves between hers.

_God, everything about him. I...I just…_

"I love you," she said, as she pulled away.

She watched as his jaw dropped and smiled as she knew it was true. She could feel it as she said it. She just hadn't realized it before.

The school bell finally rang, signaling the end of first period. She couldn't wait to tell Rima what happened so she gave him one last kiss before saying goodbye and walking toward her next class.

She felt his hand grab onto hers and she spun around blushing. He was blushing too.

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't walk my girlfriend to class?"

Her cheeks flushed every shade of red before she smiled at him.

"Boyfriend hmm?" she teased, "I like the sound of that."

* * *

_**All of us fall in love differently.**_

_**Some of us know right away.**_

Nagihiko laughed as Rima's first attempt at baking bread failed miserably. She had been so excited about her new-found cooking prowess ever since she made that soup. And yet here she was with a clump of un-risen bread dough sitting in front of her.

"Stop laughing at me, you ass!" She yelled as she threw dough at him.

Nagihiko responded by grabbing some and wiping it on her face. Her jaw dropped.

"I can't believe you!" She said, pouting.

Nagihiko walked up to her with a smile on his face. He grabbed a hold of her wrists, leaned down, and kissed the bread dough off her cheek. Her felt her cheeks heat up.

"Hey Rima…I love you."

_**While some of us need a little time.**_

"I-I-Idiot!" Rima blushed as Nagihiko leaned back in for a quick kiss.

She smiled knowing she'd be able to say it someday.

_**It punches some of us in the face.**_

Ikuto pulled Amu into the cemetery behind him. It was the anniversary of his parents' death. But for once, instead of being depressed, he finally had something exciting to share with them.

"You're pulling too hard, Ikuto. Slow down!"

He stopped, turned around, saw her flushed face, and decided to reach out and pick her up, princess style. He loved seeing her blush whenever he did something she wasn't ready for. He ran toward the grave.

"I really hate you sometimes," Amu said as they arrived.

"No you don't," he said, sticking his tongue out at her as he placed her back on her feet.

The grave had already been cleaned and there was a fresh bouquet of flowers from when Utau had visited the grave earlier that day. He sat down in front of it and motioned for Amu to do the same.

"Dad, mom, this is Amu. And I'm in love with her."

_**While some of us have to hear it first.**_

Amu's cheeks burned as he said this.

"Ikuto, don't just start with that!"

"Why not? Oh, and, guess what Mom and Dad? She loves me too."

Amu practically fell forward. Somehow she was embarrassed in front of a tombstone. Regardless of how casual Ikuto was being, she felt she owed it to his parents to be respectful.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Tsukiyomi. I'm Amu Hinamori. It's nice to meet you."

"And I love Ikuto," Ikuto whispered in a high-pitched voice.

She gave him a solid punch on his shoulder.

"And yes," she continued, "for some reason or another, I apparently love him."

She turned to stick her tongue out at him this time, but Ikuto pushed his lips against hers before she could. Her cheeks flared up again, but she kissed him back smiling.

_**No matter how it happens to you, it's your choice to say it out loud or keep it to yourself. But whatever you do, don't bother fighting it. It's pointless.**_

* * *

**A/N: OMG It's SOOO LONG! Though I'm sure that didn't upset anyone. It's finally over! Though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit sad. Obviously. It's kind of funny because it's completely different from how I originally pictured the ending way back when I first imagined this story and starting writing it. **

**But I like how it turned out. It's not perfect, but hopefully you guys were satisfied with it! I just want to thank everyone who stuck with me as well as all the new readers that I get with each post. I never would've stuck with it if it wasn't for you guys!**

**I would also still love to do the Kutau side story but we'll see if I have time before I go off to vet school and sell my soul. Haha. **

**Anyway, I look forward to your reviews and feedback! Thanks all! I promise this won't be the last of me! :D**

**Love,**

**FBGoldfish**


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